There is something wonderful about breakup songs. It may be the accessibility, the relatability, how there are songs in any genre or maybe it is just how emotional they always are. Whatever it is, it is at a forefront in Hollows recent single ‘Chequered’, which sees the alternative rock band discuss heartbreak with an entrancing amount of angst and emotion.
The guitar riffs and solo sections alone are incredibly fun to listen to, sounding optimistic instead of having the more pessimistic and sad sound that many songs of this topic choose to have. It works really well in making the whole song a lot more interesting and enjoyable to listen to. This is then combined with the drums, which you cannot help but tap your foot to, that helps to liven up the mood a lot by adding a backing to the guitar riffs as well as filling out the song and building it up. However, this song would not sound nearly as full and complete without the bass in the background, especially in the chorus.
‘Chequered’ is the kind of song that you cannot help but move to. There is something so catchy about the whole song and I think a lot of that comes from the hi-hat usage combined with the rhythm guitar, which work together incredibly well. Then when the lead guitar comes on top of that it layers the whole song and everything gets built up so perfectly.
On top of the instrumental are the vocals, which bring a slightly grungier sound to the song with a voice fit for singing any Kings Of Leon song. The vocals come in singing “Don’t walk so slowly, people will start talking about how you’ve got nowhere to be”, which are enough to draw you into the song without immediately giving away what the track is. A lot of ‘Chequered’ has these kinds of lyrics where they are specific yet still allow for you to create your own meaning to the song or have questions about the song. For example the chorus lines discuss “Hope you find yourself, cause I’m still looking for me”, which creates all sorts of questions about the cause of the scenario of the song.
My personal favourite line of the song is “Don’t worry about scars on top of scars, they were mine instead of ours”. It speaks very honestly about the damage of relationships and how you can get hurt in love and that level of honesty is often missing from music. It is refreshing to hear.
I think ‘Chequered’ is a wonderful song that accurately depicts the realities of a breakup in a relatable way, I am so excited to hear more from Hollows.