Lying at the end of the Pacific, somewhere between the dingoes of Australia, the penguins of Antarctica, and the polar bears & Hurley birds of the island on Lost, New Zealand doesn’t get much attention, except for the occasional earthquake or Lord of the Rings movie. That seems to be largely fine with the unassuming folk, sort of the Canada to Australia’s bombastic America, but some quality produce can fly under the radar, from their fine wines to their fine indie-rock. Hopefully not lost in the distance is Auckland’s Cut Off Your Hands, who borrow a bit from a lot of different indie-sources on sophomore LP, Hollow.
There’s definitely an expanse to Hollow, akin to the windswept vistas of Canada or Scotland, but not an epic or tragic vista, just a touching one. Singer Nick Johnson has a good emotional timber to his vocals, if sometimes a bit too emo on the sadder, slower pieces such as "By Your Side", "Oh Hell", and closer "Buried". While the folk-rock elements to opener "You Should Do Better" and bright shine of the following "Nausea" are strong, it is when Cut Off Your Hands get speedier that Hollow is at its best, in the back-to-back-to-back "All It Takes", "Fooling No One", and "Down and Out" near the end of the record. The extra pressure makes for both a more evocative sound, but also a catchier one, especially on the pop-friendly "Fooling".
The different elements at play on Hollow, none ever overwhelming all the others, can make the record just slip by a listener. But don’t let this gem from way Down Under pass you by.
MP3 Stream: "Fooling No One"
