Officially founded in 2013, Hollow Coves is an Australian duo formed by the singer/songwriters Matt Carins and Ryan Henderson. Moved by a common love for acoustic music and the desire of traveling around the world, they sing an indie folk song that matches lyrics and melody in a way to make people really feel the music they’re making.
Among their biggest successes are “The Woods”, their first single released back in 2017 and also part of the EP Wanderlust, and “Coastline”, that, according to the band, is the perfect recommendation for the ones who want to start listening to their compositions.
During the quarantine period, the duo released “Evermore”, a love song that was written for the wedding of Matt’s sister and carries a lovely message about finding the person you want to spend your life with.
In an interview for Her Campus Cásper Líbero, Carins and Henderson talked a little bit about their career in Hollow Coves, inspirations and expectations for a future concert in Brazil.
Check it out below.
- You two already knew each other before officially becoming a duo, but how exactly did this idea of creating a musical group came out?
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We met through a mutual friend. Matt had been playing music with another guy called Ryan and a friend of mine showed me some of the music they had been making. I didn’t know anyone else that was playing that kind of music in the area where we lived so I started talking with them. Then one day the other Ryan left to play drums with a heavy metal band and Matt sent me a message to see if I would be keen to have a jam sometime. We met up and just connected musically. We decided to write some songs together just out of a shared passion for music.
- Why naming it “Hollow Coves”?
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We spent almost a year trying to find a band name. We wanted it to be something that was unique but also sounded like it fit the sound of the music we were making. We tried countless word combinations, there must have been hundreds. For some reason Hollow Coves just felt right. Coincidentally, HC also happens to be the first letter of each of our last names.
- Is there any band or singer that was or still is an inspiration for both of you? Which one, and how did it influence Hollow Coves music?
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Angus and Julia Stone were definitely a big inspiration early on. They actually played a pretty big role in how I [Ryan] ended up coming to love acoustic music. I went to a music festival in Australia and some friends of mine dragged me along to see them. At the time I was only really listening to rap and hip-hop but something in their music grabbed me and slowly I came to listen to nothing but indie folk. I eventually bought an acoustic guitar and started learning their music and other acoustic songs that I had come to love. Then eventually I met Matt and he had a similar love for acoustic music. He had actually done a cover of an Angus and Julia Stone song that I had seen before I met him.
So that shared love of indie folk definitely translated to the music we were making. There’s also been influences from early Coldplay, The Paper Kites, Ásgeir, Ben Howard, and others that have crept in and impacted the music we make.
- The EP Wanderlust is all related to this strong desire to travel around the world. What was the most remarkable place you have ever been during a Hollow Coves project/tour?
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That’s such a tough question, we’ve been to a lot of incredible places. Perhaps the most remarkable was Trolltunga in Norway. That place is incredible. However, Yosemite and Zion National Park are definitely close contenders.
- The debut album “Moments” is full of inspirational lyrics. What kind of impact do you intend to achieve on the fans with these songs?
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We wanted to help people to see the beauty in life. We live in a time where people can often focus far too much on the negative. I think it’s a result of social media and people comparing their lives to others. If you focus entirely on the things you don’t have, of course you’re going to be depressed. But if you focus on all the amazing things that you do have, it changes everything. Perspective is so important.
- There was a Hollow Coves concert in São Paulo scheduled to July 31, but it had to be canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. There’s something you can tell about when it’s gonna happen?
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We were so devastated that we had to cancel. We were so looking forward to that show. Unfortunately, we don’t really know when we will be able to reschedule. We’re just waiting to see when things improve with Coronavirus and then we will reassess. It’s a crazy time right now, but luckily it has given us the opportunity to work on new music. So when we do finally “come to Brazil”, we will hopefully have more new music to share.
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The article above was edited by Laura Ferrazzano.
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