The Drood – “Hallow”
The Drood – “Hallow” – Single Review
“Hunger pangs exacerbate your salivating maw.” #Gorgeous
I mean that! I truly do. As a person that fools around with these word-things all damn day and flirts with the occasional idea of a really good sentence or two, I bow down to exceptional lyricism like this. Full salute! The Drood have decided to make a career out of doing things differently, and that’s certainly had me paying attention to what they’re up to. Oddly enough, for as decisively different as they ARE, they end up bearing a strange digital resemblance to Hot Chip at times too, which is also kind of neat considering the fact it’s generally a completely different style of music being made in The Drood, with half the players in their band. Anyhow. They seem to be up to something over there in Denver, Colorado…they’ve been particularly active to start the year, and that’s usually an indication of good things happenin’ in terms of what we might find them doing throughout the course of 2023. Could a third album by The Drood be in the works? I’d have to say it definitely seems like that day is coming.
And if it’s not, well then I guess I’ve just churned up the rumor mill for no reason…which can still be fun.
So let’s see here…what can I tell ya about their latest single “Hallow” that you should know? I can tell ya it is one of those tracks that from the moment you push play you’re probably going to freakin’ LOVE what you find coming back atcha through the speakers. Musically, The Drood is off the charts cool here on “Hallow” – it’s without a doubt one of my favorite cuts on that level for sure. The drums are gonna hit ya first, because the beat is not only incredible, it sounds seriously spectacular in this song. You’ve got the additional keyboards and “noise” via Daniel Watts as well…and I’m pretty sure you can hear how the creativity of this dude in The Drood speaks volumes on its own behalf from the moment this track starts to get movin’ and groovin.’ You’ll drift in on the mist of this tune for about a thirty-five second intro or so, but from the moment that first snare pops, you’ll know you’re sticking around for the rest.
Make no mistake, The Drood’s other half is every bit as essential. The bass-lines from Nathan Jamiel are killer throughout the rhythm section in tandem with those superb drums, his ideas on guitar contribute to this tune much more than you’ll realize, and the way he’s done his vocals on “Hallow” is creative AF! From different filters & effects, to the stunning harmonies he’s added in/low-toned backup vocals too, you really can’t ask for more creativity out of one man. When you hear the poetry involved in his words, to the brilliant way he’s got those words structured within “Hallow,” you’ve really gotta give this guy his due credit for finding the spaces in between, you know what I mean? Most singers/songwriters out there don’t do things in the way that Nathan does…and ultimately, he’s making differences that get noticed. “Hallow” is like what you’d expect out of Radiohead locked away living in Dracula’s castle for a month while reading nothing but Edgar Allan Poe stories and listening to The Beatles played backwards. And yes, obviously that’s a great thing…”Hallow” is as much of a win for art as it is for music, truly. I make no illusions about the fact that The Drood is still appealing to a narrower slice of the masses out there (read: just the folks that actually dig creativity in music), but like I mentioned earlier, they’ve certainly got my attention for all the effort they’re putting in and the true uniqueness of their results.
As IF their music wasn’t already establishing The Drood as the kind of oddity you wanna hear coming through your speakers, for “Hallow” they decided to take over your screens too, with what’s gotta be one of the best videos you’re gonna see this year. These guys are trippin’ right out y’all – and what they’ve accomplished by enlisting Jake Jamiel to film “Hallow” and then let Daniel do what he does by naturally gettin’ weird with it in the editing…I mean…trust me when I tell ya, if you’re not pushing play on this video you are only doing yourself a disservice. And you deserve better than that, we all know that you do. So make sure to do the right thing, and give “Hallow” a click or two, peel your eyelids back in that beautiful style à la Clockwork Orange, and watch this kickass video of The Drood doin’ their thang. They’re ever impossible to define, but that element of elusive mystery in this band simply makes them even more enticing as they continue on…there really ain’t a whole lot out there like The Drood.
Find out more about’em at their official website right here: https://thedrood.com
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