Review Summary: Some catchy and inoffensive ambient, spacey alt jams.
Tokyo-based alt rockers Hollow Suns may paint by numbers, but they sure as f*ck bring the firepower. Their newest release, the brief 4-track EP
Free Fall, is not something that requires any exposition. The opening title track, merely ninety-six seconds in length, blows the door down with a flurry of hard-hitting drums and volcanic guitars. While Kou Nakagawa whacks away at the kit, frontman Shuhei Dohi belts out some melodic hooks. Hot on its heels is "Fear," where Dohi's voice glissades on ethereal choruses with interesting lyrics; "Lost in the world of hope where lies were spun," he laments. "No Progression" is marked by Ayumu Sugiyama, the lead guitarist, whose shimmery riffs take charge all throughout, while on closer "All You Got", Kosuke Saito's zoned-out basslines segue into enthralling riffs and bitey, shouty vocals. Nakagawa pounds away on the atmospheric bridge, while Sugiyama shreds on the extended and distortion-filled outro.
If you can mess with an ambient and spacey flavor of alt-rock and post-hardcore, than
Free Fall by Hollow Suns might be a good way to spend eleven minutes and change. The affair is truncated and doesn't overstay its welcome, nor does it really indicate to an area in which the band could expound on a lengthier release. It does, however, offer up some catchy and inoffensive jams. The band comprises a talented group of guys, and the project boasts as a nice sample-size. They haven't reinvented the wheel, but they can churn out some quality tunes which would certainly translate to a live setting. I'm interested to see what they do next.
