Less Than Hollow

New band, Less Than Hollow, release their first EP this Friday 10th December 2021 (hence the title) on all major streaming formats, and I managed to get an early listen with the tracks consistently on my in-car playlist for the last month or so. I say ‘new’ as the front man Adam, and main force behind LTH, is well known to The Wrinkly Rockers Club. His previous bands including Colt 48, were favourites of The WRC and we have reviewed them several times before.

Hailing from South-East London, Adam formed his new venture earlier this year and has already created significant interest, being regularly featured on independent Rock radio in the UK and US. Indeed, their first gig in the new format was supporting Ryan McCombs (Soil), demonstrating the quality and potential of Less Than Hollow’s musical offering.

The first track, ‘Critical’, was produced by Chris Clancy, whose pedigree includes working with Massive Wagons and Those Damn Crows. The vocals soar over crunchy riffs to great effect, but with subtly softer interludes, the songs hang together perfectly, creating almost involuntary foot-taping responses as the songs progress.

Adam cites Puddle of Mudd as one of the band’s influences, and fans of PoM will certainly appreciate Less Than Hollow’s sound. ‘How Can I Live’ is a soul wrenching requiem for lost love, which leads into my firm favourite on the EP, the very catchy ‘Disappointed’. Probably closest to the old Colt 48 material, the riff “I’m not angry, I’m just disappointed”, has got stuck as an ear-worm in me for several weeks now.

My only way to dislodge these ear-worms is to go and see them live. Luckily, I won’t have to wait too long as some live events are planned for early in 2022 (bloody Covid permitting!) at London’s The Black Hart in Camden in March. Adam will call on his talented musical network to support the live show, so I am quite excited to hear this EP live. Adam’s live sound is as good if not better than the records, so we are in for a treat.

Less Than Hollow have evolved from the Colt 48 days, keeping the best of the old sound but expanding from the Nu Metal pigeon hole into a broader Alt Rock genre. ‘Fade’ is a good example of a more mature sound, with ‘The Better Man’ producing another sing along anthem (careful, that could become an ear-worm too!).

This is a great EP and well worth a listen - or two or three listens and so on, as one listen will certainly not be enough. Adam’s talent is growing and Less Than Hollow is certainly one to look out for. I am really looking forward to the live shows, but in the meantime, I certainly recommend checking out the new EP - ‘2021’.

Track Listing:

1. Critical
2. How Can I Live
3. Disappointed
4. For You
5. Fade
6. The Better Man

Chris Bourlet