Helsinki, Finland-based trio, At The Hollow, will release their debut album, What I Hold Most Dear, on February 17th via Spinefarm Records. The album was recorded at Sound Supreme Studio in Finland with producer Janne Saksa (Mokoma, Turisas, Stamina and Rotten Sound). The video for the first single, "Was It Worth It", can now be seen below.

 

 

About the recording, the band offered some insight into their sound and the result, and said, "When going to the studio, we were in that point where we had enough songs ready to record our debut album. We were ready. It was springtime and there was so much light everywhere, but we still found the right mood to the sound in between purity and death. We had a clear vision on what we wanted to get caught on tape and working in the studio made us do it. While making the record, we felt like all the members got stronger and everyone really found their own place in the band. Everything kind of…clicked. We, as a band, and our audio engineer realized that we were dealing with something totally new and fresh that has never been heard before."

 

 

Tracklisting:

"Was It Worth It"
"Otherside"
"Paleface"
"Dead Memories"
"Withered Speech"
"Second Time"
"Numbed"
"Last Hour"
"Watch & Learn"
"Echoes"
"Was It Worth It" video:

Teaser video:

As much as people like to pigeonhole music, the genre tool doesn't apply with At The Hollow. It's next to impossible to attach any genre names to this Helsinki-based trio's music. The band, comprise of a guitar, percussion and a contrabass played with a bow, At The Hollow has found a unique niche of their own; possessing some qualities from post-rock and others from the grungier side of rock, What I Hold Most Dear is a potpourri of paradoxes.

The tunes are darkly melancholic yet light as air, the lyrics are introverted and gloomy yet strangely uplifting at the same time. This music is stripped, organic and honest-to-goodness all the way to the point of rawness. Subtle yet in-your-face, fragile yet brimming with inner strength. Balanced by juxtapositions.

Bare. Haunting. Sublime. Humane.

 

 

When At The Hollow recorded What I Hold Most Dear, “It was springtime and there was so much light everywhere,” recalls the band about entering the studio, “but we still found the right mood and the right sound, somewhere between purity and death. We had a clear vision of what we wanted to capture on tape, and in the process of making the record, we felt that all of the members got stronger – everyone really found their place in the band. Everything kind of… clicked. Along with our audio engineer, our aim was to focus on keeping things new and fresh, hopefully achieving something that has never been heard before..."

Separating themselves from the noise overkill of mere rock music, this collection of songs is like an exhibition of emotions frozen in time - still images of everyday things in striking black and white. Freshly found avenues to tap straight into the well of feelings. Open doors to show the listener there are miracles in the mundane to be found, if you just can find the time stop in your tracks and silence the noise for a fleeting moment.

The visually striking cover features 12 separate images laid out in storyboard-like form. The images may seem disconnected upon a cursory look, but if you keep your eyes fixed on them while listening to the music, you may start to put together your own interpretation.  

Kalle Koo: "To me the album and artwork shows what At The Hollow really is right now. It`s very honest. And as an musician I’m very proud of what kind of feelings and atmosphere we created with only a trio."

At present, At the Hollow's music is the product of plain life, death, burn out, recovery, rehearsing, recording, more rehearsing, playing live and a shared passion for playing this type of music. That dedication ripples through every note and every chord of What I Hold Most Dear.

At The Hollow's genre-bending debut What I Hold Most Dear redefines the ways emotive rock music is done.