“I have absolutely no pleasure in the stimulants in which I sometimes so madly indulge. It has not been in the pursuit of pleasure that I have periled life and reputation and reason. It has been the desperate attempt to escape from torturing memories, from a sense of insupportable loneliness and a dread of some strange impending doom.”
Edgar Allan Poe
Sometimes it's hard to feel happy? Just take a look around. We're constantly bombarded by bad news and we find ouserlves in uncomfrotable situations because other people aren't able to respect other people. Our emotions tend to fluctuates between sorrow and pensiveness. Sure, we can put up a smiling face and hold on but it won't be enough. You can hide it so long that your illusion becomes your reality. You can avoid it and negate it till it comes out all at once and you feel destroyed, annhilitade. The only way to come to terms with our demons is by confronting them, directly or indirectly. Directly is a bit hard because it involves a short but drastic jorney which could be traumatic. The other way is better but it requires more time and patience. Fortunately there're some elements which can help easying the process, an aspect which is mostly overlooked and undervalued: passions, interests and hobbies. It doesn't matter what it is but just one of them is enough. Usually the artistic ones are what support us because these allow us to express ourselves in a throughtful and memorable way. Music is one of the best cure for a dismal mind. It's in this contest that Hallow was born.
Hallows is a project born from the minds of Dom and Vanee Rolando, two young American
of Mauritians origins. They are a Darkwave and Post-Punk band who's set in the Emerald City, Seattle.
They have always been interested in music from a young age. They've always used to attend to shows from various genres, which helped building their knowledge which would have been present in their works. Their nous, coming together to create something new, wasn't so unexpected, in fact music could be considered their compass and their source of happiness. Most of their spare time is dedicated to it and for them it has been a relevant aspect in their life. They've started making music not only for them but for the listener, to give him solace.
The main themes of their works are sadness and melancholia, because they value human vulnerability over everything. This makes them two empathic people who are down to earth. This is remarkable. Especially in an industry where money and fame are the means which propell it.
Hallows is heavily influenced by Mogwai, Massive Attack, Slowdive, Lust for You and Traitrs, which are more relevant in the album we're going to analyse. But there's more to it because their tastes are pretty varied and manifold. Dom is, currently, a fan of Stones from the sky by Neurosis, Idioteque by Radiohead and Roads by Portishead. Vanee, on the other hand, prefers Candy Walls by TR/ST, Guggenheim Wax Museum by Have A Nice Life and Suburban War by Veil of Light. Their inspiration isn't generated only by music but also by a variety of movies and series like Sympathy for Lady Vengeance, The City of Lost Children, Enter the Void, Broadchurch, The Killing and Les Revenants. These are original tastes in my opinion and it seems like they like shows and movies which keep their mind on and their imagination active.
All That is True, the latest Hallows album, represents a sharp step up from the previous one,
Subtle, which has explored interesting themes like loneliness, longing and sadness. Here Dom and Vanee decided to deal with loss, searching for a purpose and garnering for a loss. Not only the themes, but also the atmospheres are and sound design are more creative and show the growth experienced by the band. It's also more risky and unorthodox, aspects which are the sign of a will to get a deeper understanding of their genre.
The album was written during the Seattle protests, caused by the unnjust murder of George Floyd by the hand of Derek Chauvin, Alexander Kueng, Thomas K. Lane, and Tou Thao, Minneapolis Police Officers. They witnessed the brutality and desplicable behaviour during the protests, which has left them scarred and traumatized. All their angst, rebellion and desire for a better future went into their music, rather than being buried in their memories. It served as a cathartic experience, a way to create something good out something bad. Usually a musician would use their music to criticize the governement and the people who created the conditions for this tragedy but they don't.
Rather than using their angst to generate angst, they wanted to show us the emotional journey of existing in a merciless world. They wanted to help the people to get out of their dark moments, as they did. An admirable feat which should be praised and recognized.
"This release means a lot to us. It represents the culmination of over a year of composing, arranging, and creating. Through this process, we have grown drastically as a band, as artists, and as people. Though this album comes across as more refined than Subtle, it is somewhat more raw. The inspiration behind the album comes from both of us witnessing so much pain this past year but seeing how it is possible to carry on, reaching for a better future."
The album start with a bang. Out of Time could be considered the basis of every song which is going to be featured. It's a piece purely instrumental and puts you in the mood. It feels like a warm up. It's also the shortest track of All That is True, which seems intentional, because it explains the title. The idea to use this song, which feels like an ending track, as a prologue seems like a nod to Tenet and the idea of palindrome. Maybe I'm overthinking it but it feels like that for me.
All That is True starts with a crescendo which kick off the music. It's a dreamy piece, I think that it would fit well in a series like Dark. It's singed by both Dom and Vanee and their voices are used perfectly, because are consistent with the music. I think that it functions as a way to represent to anger toward the people who denies the truth. But it isn't raging anger, it's more restrained. There's a shade of sadness in how the lyrics is singed. Mourning, I think, is the main theme here.
Next is Defeated which starts with a bass and then builds on it. It sounds like a requiem and it fits the song's name. Keyboards have a more relevant roles here. The pace is the same as the previous tracks. After a while the music becomes dreamy and soothing, giving you a sense of comfort and relax. I think that it could be about the acceptance of loss and defeat.
Shallow Waters is one of the least hopeful song here. The lyrics describe the condition of a generation without certainties. The lack of destination and purpose is front and center here and I think that it's the perfect following for defeated, because this is how we feel when we are powerless. The use of repetition helps to emphasize the word Destination. The song's title reflects the lyrics because it represents our society's superficiality.
In Nothing, Vanee is the main singer. She sings about the feelings which follows the one showed in the previous song: nothing really matters when we have nothing to live for. It's a nihilistic view of reality, an idea which is becoming increasingly relevant recently. It could be considered a defense mechanism to avoid bad feelings like sadness and gloom. Gloomy is how I would describe this song. It isn't supposed to be uplifting but to be a stimulant for our emotional intelligence. It seems like the music is becoming deeper after every song.
The Last Wander starts with an uplifting tones, which represents a variation from what come before. This is a turning point and it could represent the first step toward an acceptance of the condition we're in. But it isn't just about acceptance but also about agency, the one you need to change everything. The song's name could represent our last stages of wandering in our melancholic thoughts before what would be our rebirth. The point is that the reading is all about your natural predisposition. Here I see a slightly higher level of optimism which isn't present in the previous tracks, a view which is influenced by the fact that I'm usually optimistic. It would vary a lot if you're pessimistic, realistic or nihilistic.
The upbeat tones continues in Our Failures, a song about coming to terms with our sins. The band makes it clear that the best way to get past them is by changing the way we're used to think about it. We have to start seeing them as steps, rather than just slums.
Silence reprises the themes of sins touched previously and analyzes it in depth. The idea that the band wants to make clear is that we're nothing without failures and errors. It's a good way to face your past and embrace your future. The title could be about the fact that we tend to avoid talking about our shortcomings and troubles.
Her Thirst seems like a step back from the hopeful tones which come before. At first. It realigns with the previous tracks after a while but mantains a sense of underlying sadness. It's like they wanted to represent the fact that even after the first period of acceptance, you aren't truly free of your demons. The title is a bit enigmatic because it doesn't follow the pervious one's theme. It could refer to the thirst of freedom but I don't know why it's only about her. Maybe I'm overthinking it and it was written with another intention. I wonder....
The last song, This Instance Makes Us Forget, starts quietly and, like Out of Time, is dreamy. It's interesting how the first and the last song have two titles which represent time, a sharp detail which makes us understand that this song is where all come together. Is one of the shortest song and it's about the fact that after this experience we're going to forget what happened because we'll be back to our routine and everything will return to the status quo. It's a sad and realistic ending which doesn't leave space for hopeful thoughts. It's riscky because usually we listen to music to feel better. I think that it's the perfect epilogue for an outstanding album.
Hallows is an interesting and remarkable band, charcterized by sharp lyrics and a moony style. I like how the band pours his experiences, bad and good, into their songs, because it makes them more truthful. I think that they need to be recognized for what they stand for and their purpose as artists. If you like the darkwave/post-punk genre you'll love them. If you're a newbie and this is your first time with this kind of music, probably you'll get interested in it, because Vanee and Dom know how to get yoiu hooked for their kind of music. You'll be part of an emotional experience which will change you for the better.
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