Hollowlove is an atmospheric electro-pop duo from Canada, comprised of Keith Gillard and Ryan Slemko (Fidgital). They’re releasing a new single quarterly, with all their material using entirely original, analog or acoustic sounds.

Hollowlove’s new track “Diamond Mine” started with a groove. “The two of us were jamming on different analog drum machines, layering polyrhythms, and unsure if the song was at 60bpm or 120bpm,” Keith explains. “Then we began to stack analog polysynths playing different chord variations to create a lush soundscape.” The duo has always loved the first iteration of Art Of Noise, with “Moments In Love” being a high point. “Even at 69 bpm, that groove is so powerful that it can still fill a floor, 35 years later,” Keith gushes. “Although we couldn’t quite get behind the “oww oww” silly breakdown, the sparseness of the bassline and slow burn arrangement are certainly reflected in the facets of ‘Diamond Mine.’”

The track’s lyrics are written by Ryan, and uncharacteristically romantic. The Sade-influenced falsetto has none of his typical brashness nor vibrato, almost as if the very personal and vulnerable lyrics require him to sing as a character.
Still, Hollowlove went back to improvisational jamming to come up with the track’s instrumental breakdown/bridge. Somehow, Jarre’s “Oxygene” came to mind, inspiring the triplet synth figure. Ryan then jumped in front of the mic to wail wordlessly in one single unedited take, providing an emotional climax for the song.

On the band’s background, Keith says: “Ryan and I first met when he crashed a party at my place. He’d recently started working at a video game company with my roommate and was familiar with my music. A few months later, he asked me to produce some material for his band at the time, and after that project dissolved, we started writing together. We’ve been working together ever since, and it’s no exaggeration to say we’re best friends.”

Links
https://www.hollowlove.com
https://soundcloud.com/hollowlove