Fellow LeftLion writers Bassey and Rich Higton (AKA Jarrow Junction) have come together as Hallowed Men to release a collaborative album titled Hollow Man. We find out more about it...
How and when did Hallowed Men come about?
Bassey: A mutual friend introduced us to each other earlier this year and we quickly wanted to work together on a project. Initially, we just sent each other our material and almost stumbled into creating the finished sound on this album.
Jarrow Junction: Funnily enough it all came about because I reviewed a track Bassey was on. Luckily, I gave it a good review!
What does the name of the album, Hollow Man, mean? Where did it come from?
Bassey: Hollow Man started as the overall project name and ended up as the album title, used by myself to describe artists who appear to give their all for the performance but in reality, give nothing... they are hollow. I think the meaning has deepened and changed throughout the development of this album and can now be seen as a description of a person without a soul or reason for life.
What influences do you think each collaborator bring to the project? What inspires you?
Bassey: Very eclectic, including Squarepusher, Sleaford Mods, Leftfield, Mogwai... I could go on forever with this!
Jarrow Junction: Lone is a big one for me, especially as a Nottingham artist. Also, Liam Howlett (The Prodigy), and for this album in particular, eighties darkwave synth bands (Depeche Mode, Cocteau Twins, etc).
Could you tell us a bit more about the work each of you has done prior to this project?
Bassey: I started off playing bass guitar for a dub/reggae band (it’s where I got my nickname), I’ve previously released a couple of albums in collaboration with other Nottingham folks including Jem Woolley.
Jarrow Junction: I have been producing random electronic beats since around 2005, under various guises. I started the Jarrow Junction project in 2018 as an experimental noise project, which has slowly morphed into something more palatable!
Could you tell us a bit more about each of the tracks on the album?
Sew Sweet is about a relationship frozen in time, not going anywhere, locked in time and unable to move on. Notice (What We Have Become), which comes later in the tracklist, is in a similar vein.
Abigail's No More started as a song about Abigail Moss, a sufferer of Alice In Wonderland Syndrome that is a neurological distortion or disorder. As with most songs, the meaning developed into a kind of love song and about being lost!
Black Dog, ah, we probably all know about this theme, depression and conflict, loss of hope, fear, dread... you get the picture. The Dreams Not To Blame features child's vocals, which were the starting point. The Universe is built on death and decay, as we all go shuffling into the nightmare!
Badass John C. Woods – look up this person, a real person, a liar, and someone who pretended to have work experience to get the job they dreamed of and then botched up his work. Was he a villain or a hero? Check him out! And the final track that isn’t a remix, Hello (Are You Alright), is about a close relationship with a robot – what could go wrong?!
What’s the story behind those three remixes that appear at the end of the record?
Bassey: We wanted to see how other musicians would shape our songs and what sounds they would develop them into. We have chosen the artists Rezzonator, Debbie And The Sea Of Fire and Shelter Calm, because we know them as artists and played at events alongside them.
Jarrow Junction: Best thing about the remixes is that they are all very different styles to each other. Debbie’s remix of Black Dog is so unsettling, I love it! Rezzonator and Shelter Calm have made our downbeat album more suitable for the dance floor, and have done stellar work.
What’s next for you guys following the release of this album?
Bassey and Jarrow Junction: We are currently looking to shape the songs and make them suitable for playing live, and then gig in 2024. We are also in the early stages of developing more tracks for future releases. Please get in touch if anyone out there in interested in working with us!
Hollow Man can be purchased on Bandcamp or streamed on Spotify
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