HOLLOW COVES: An Enchanting Return

On April 9th, the mesmerizing Australian duo, Hollow Coves, made their way full circle to the place they played their very first show together, the Drake Underground. The room was filled with eager Canadians and Australians alike, as they anxiously waited for the indie-folk singer-songwriters to take to the stage. We had the pleasure of sitting down with the musicians themselves, Matt Carins & Ryan Henderson, after their soundcheck to learn more about their connection to Toronto and life on the road. “It’s kind of a funny story”, said Ryan, “but the first time we ever played live was in Toronto. I had been living here for a year and our music had kind of started taking off online, but we had never performed it live before. I had been doing open mic nights, and then Matt came and we lived together for 3 months, just down the road actually. So we played our first show, but we just called it Matt & Ryan because we were too embarrassed to call it Hollow Coves yet”. It’s hard to believe that performing live is something new to the boys, as their performance was nothing short of flawless.

Hollow Coves’ music intertwines the beauty of travel and song in a delightfully enchanting manner, as if they were made to create music for the wandering souls. The team exhibits the beautiful balance between audio and visual art in their stunning European/UK Tour video they created themselves on their Youtube channel. Matt mentioned, “Ryan does a lot of photography and videography on his camera", as we wondered if there was anything they can’t do. Many listeners seek out music that will enhance the setting of the environment their in, and Hollow Coves certainly does just that. If you're not in the middle of backpacking the vast landscapes of Europe, or heading on an adventurous weekend road-trip, you can simply close your eyes, and Matt and Ryan will take you there. “The EP was definitely inspired by all those trips in Europe. It was just kind of like reflecting on times we had over there, so that vibe was just sort of a natural thing that happened,” said Matt.

Playing to a sold-out show, it was no surprise that fans in the room were singing along. Having only released one EP, “Wanderlust”, Hollow Coves jokingly noted that they would have to perform new material in order to fulfill the given set time. Eyes around the room were glued to the stage, as the crowd absorbed the captivating melodies and beautifully poetic lyrics. “We normally write a melody on the guitar, and then we kind of listen to it and add gibberish on top,” recalled Matt. “It’s interesting because it just comes out naturally, and sometimes that’s exactly what fits the melody". Speaking with the two young travellers about their lyrics, we resonated with their passion for exploring and finding yourself, and the sacrifices that come with it. Matt admitted, "eventually you get homesick". Ryan adds, "you eventually want to be around one group of people for more than 2 days, you know? Like if you’ve got your crew at home - a good group of friends, you’re not able to just hang out with them on the weekend". The team revealed that they wrote their song "Home", here in Trinity-Bellwoods Park, proving that sometimes it's hard to balance the elation of experiencing new places and memories, while leaving behind the things that are really important, the people.

Watching Matt & Ryan’s skillful and synchronized performance, you'd assume the two had been performing together forever. The room was decorated with glistening disco balls, as a sea of lights from audience member's phones fortified the magical melodies. The crowd was gifted new material from the Aussie duo, in which we can only hope will be on the new album. Eager for a release date, we inquired about the process. “Well it’s in it’s loose states, but it really depends on how the studio goes,” said Ryan. “With mixing songs, you don’t really know, but probably a rough date would be by the end of next year,” contributed Matt. Fans can expect the album to evoke a fairly different vibe. Having gone through such metamorphic experiences, Matt explains, “it’s a little bit more deep. There’s songs about friends that have moved away that you’ve had all these experiences with, and how they’ve all taken different paths, and how you miss that”. As you might expect, the new album will include material that young adults will find wholeheartedly relatable. The producer of fellow indie-folk artist, Ben Howard, has been working with the band on their album, and with the beautifully captivating songs they previewed throughout the show, it's guaranteed to be a hit.

We bonded with the two over our time living in Australia, and the many incredible musicians that hailed from the island. Mentioning other similar talented artists like The Paper Kites, Boy & Bear, and Dustin Tebutt, we couldn’t help but wonder who’d they like to collaborate with. Ryan explained that working with Justin Vernon of Bon Iver would be huge; “I feel like he’s a genius and you’d learn so much.” Citing Angus & Julia Stone as one of their inspirations, it was no surprise the boys decided to cover their beautifully dulcet “Mango Tree.” With a lovable and calming energy, Hollow Coves proved to be exactly what one hopes for when covering Angus & Julia Stone. If you want to catch Hollow Coves doing what they do best (highly recommended), then definitely keep an eye out. “We go to Europe first, then the UK, and then we join Tom Walker for a bit before we play some music festivals over there,” said Matt. You can find specific dates for their live shows at https://www.hollowcoves.com/live

The boys described their personal influences like Bon Iver as "musical genius'", but honestly, we put Matt Carins and Ryan Henderson right up in that same category.