Album Review: Cut Off Your Hands - Hollow

I never usually review New Zealand bands on this blog as far as I remember just the album by Beast Wars has thus far been the solitary New Zealand album. So when I found out the new album from indie rock band Cut Off Your Hands had been "released" onto the Internet, I felt compelled to listen to what they had made considering I was an admirer from afar.

Instantly into the album you  get some alternative influence into the album, I first thought The Smiths but as the first couple of songs were finished it definitely felt more The Cure. Either way there's definitely a nice 80-90's alt rock feel to this album and thankfully not in a way that makes it sound really retro. One thing I really like on this album is the vocals, Nick Johnston has done a great job making his vocals sound like they are really dreamy and laid back creating a cool feel to the album.

One of the worries I had as I was listening to this album was would it end up a little samey and thankfully this wasn't the case at all. There's some dreamier slower songs on this album that definitely interest me a lot and then there's moments such as Fooling No One (A stand out track) where the energy lifts, the classic influences are so evident on this song, with the guitars harking back to the great bands of old indie rock/alternative. Another aspect of this album I really enjoyed particularly early on was the minimal nature of the guitars, such subtle sounds that accompanied the flowing vocals allowed those songs to sound extra sweet.

While I did enjoy this album a fair amount, the more I listened and hoped to find something more, the more I couldn't find it. The songs and album have potential to be really great songs, I like them but certainly don't love many (well maybe Down & Out) its a shame cause you can definitely hear the potential in it.

Overall this is a cool solid indie rock album by a New Zealand act that certainly has the potential to become a greater band. The classic indie/alt rock influence on this band is really cool and evident on this album but only enough to show they like those bands and not trying to become a poor rip off. The vocals and guitars are like a dream, so I found this album would be perfect to listen to in the sun on a lazy Sunday.

Overall Rating: 7.5/10