Red Telephone - “Hollowing Out”
Red Telephone’s “Hollowing Out” is a beautifully dark and creative piece of music, which elegantly and theatrically takes you on a psychedelic musical journey through a variety of genres and tempos.
The song opens with what I can only describe as almost theatrical piano lines… It sets the stage for what’s to come. The music quickly evolves, giving strong nods to classic British glam rock with chugging bass and tapping piano. The music grooves, but the song is full of surprises and quickly transitions to a slower rhythm that creates a hauntingly beautiful atmosphere.
The use of synth sounds adds to the song’s 1970s feel. The tones are almost Jeff Wayne like, with a definite dark and psychedelic quality. The unusual falsetto vocal delivery, again, adds a very theatrical texture to the song. There is a sense of unease to the tones and expression, which is wonderfully delivered by the lead singer.
The lyrics deal with themes of alienation, identity, and monotony, exploring contemporary social dilemmas, such as the trappings of ambition in a saturated pop culture age and the pervasive nature of modern media.
“Hollowing Out” is bold and creative and I can only make comparisons to artists like Bowie in terms of its creativity, even though the sound is not close. This is definitely a work of art.