smoltz - “holding out”
Brooklyn-based indie rocker Zach Hinkle, aka smoltz, has just released the marvelously cerebral sounds of “holding out,” a wondrous culmination of vast influence.
The track gently fades into the soundscape before engulfing the listener in glorious layers of guitars, churning above a slow-and-steady rhythm section. If you managed to somehow avoid mainstream alternative back in the ‘90s, you very likely sought something similar to “holding out.” The melodious guitar work, alone, is worth the price of admission.
Hinkle delivers a vocal that is raw and sincere, not tarnished by the overuse of autotune. His voice is accompanied by a subtle falsetto, which adds a substantial width to the performance, while also being slightly reminiscent of Hum or Dinosaur Jr. On the refrain, the arrangement is joined by a reverse-tape effect layer, allowing the section to fully saturate every inch of the sonic space.
After the second chorus, additional layers of guitars arrive, and they have come bearing overdrive pedals. “holding out” suddenly grows to about one million times its original size, beholding a lead guitar performance that is quite tasteful and melodic, instead of supercilious and self-glorifying, exactly the way we prefer it.
All of this results in a final chorus section that has additional layers of vocals, rising like a great sonic wave before ultimately falling back to reveal a lo-fi guitar performance that echoes the intro. It is not often that we feature alt rock on our blog, but “holding out” is filled with a warm nostalgia that never pretends to be anything else.
“holding out” arrives alongside “keep it dull” to complete a double-sided single. And if ye seek something a bit more energetic and heavy-hitting, you are gonna wanna check this one out as well. “keep it dull” has a bit of a fiery pep in its step and a constant vocal harmony that is immediately captivating. Again, the layers of guitars are a definite highlight, with the bass driving the bus a bit harder, but the middle eight lends a gratifying dynamic shift that will most likely earn smoltz some new fans.
“keep it dull” was produced at Out of the Box Studios by Mario Santana and “holding out” was produced at Greenpoint Recording Collective by Tommy Cormier. Both play in smoltz’s live band, along with drummer Jason Crawford, and have become integral partners in the songwriting and production process.
Connect with smoltz: Instagram | Spotify | Bandcamp
-HD