Brisbane indie-folk luminaries Hollow Coves are set to embark on a national tour in January next year in support of their forthcoming record Moments.
Moments is set for release on October 18th, and the band has given us a taste of what to expect with their luscious new single ‘Borderlines’.
“Inspired by a trip to San Francisco, Borderlines is all about stepping out and making life an adventure,” explains the band. “It aims to inspire and encourage the listener to break past their boundaries into something greater.
Listen to the track below.
To celebrate all the exciting goings-on at the Hollow Caves camp, the band has put together a little guide of their top five travel destinations, check it out below.
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Travel has definitely played a big role in shaping our music. We’ve both done quite a lot of travelling over the last few years. So I think that just naturally flowed into the music we were making. Whether it be from simply admiring the beauty of a new place, or from new people we met and the stories that played out along the way; we have always found that there is so much inspiration that comes from travelling.
With the release of our new single Borderlines, we wanted to give you an insight into some of the places that captured our hearts and inspired our music. So without further ado, here are our top 5 travel destinations.
1) Norway
This country has well and truly earned its place in our top 5. Norway is definitely one of the most undeniably beautiful countries we have experienced in our travels so far. So many epic landscapes. It is so hard to pick just one photo from this place. We’ve hiked the famous Trolltunga, Matt surfed in Lofoten Islands and experienced the northern lights, we’ve travelled through the beautiful fjords; the country is filled with breathtaking landscapes. We also both experienced an incredible afternoon in Bergen which ended up inspiring the title track of the album and developed a theme that carried through a lot of the songs on the album.
Prior to that particular hike, we had spent a few days staying with a few friends in this beautiful AirBnB on Mt Floyen in Bergen. On our last afternoon we were all pretty tired and were trying to decide whether we should just have a quiet one or go out and explore one last time. We eventually decided that we should make the most of our time there, so we went out and found a new hiking trail, and it turned out to be the best decision. As we hiked up this mountain, the sun started to set over the mountain and the view we got was absolutely breathtaking. We became like children; running around to see more of what was on display. The way the sunset glow illuminated the mountain peaks and lakes was heavenly.
When we got back that evening we couldn’t help but reflect on the incredible experience that we would have missed out on if we had just stayed in. This lead us to the realisation that in life we only get so many moments when we can choose to either do something that could be amazing or to do something comfortable and let the moment go by. That’s where the inspiration for the title track ‘Moments’ came from.
2) Cinque Terre, Italy
Prior to our first EP we had both visited Cinque Terre separately. However, it made a lasting impression on both of us. Cinque Terre is made up of five colourful fishing villages along the steep north coast of Italy. With hikes between each town, beautiful blue water, and vineyards all over the hills; this place is definitely another one of our favourite travel destinations. This destination made it into the lyrics our song ‘We Will Run’, “We found our place among those five towns along the coast where colours came to life”. It was also actually on the beach of Monterosso al Mare (one of the villages) where Matt took the photo that we used for the cover of our first EP ‘Wanderlust’. Although it’s getting pretty touristy now, there’s still something about this place that makes you feel distant and relaxed; away from the rest of the world. The gelato is pretty amazing here as well.
3) Switzerland
It’s hard to choose just one part of Switzerland because the whole country looks like something out of a postcard. The mountains, the lakes; even the cities. We’ve been lucky enough to spend a bit of time in Switzerland over the last few years and have seen some insanely beautiful places. One particular stand-out was Lake Oeschinensee. As we were hiking up to the lake, the mountain was completely covered by cloud. When we got to the lake, the mountain was still covered by cloud. The lake itself was beautiful enough as it was. The water was such a beautiful bright blue. But then the cloud started to fade away and we started to see this epic mountain backdrop behind the lake and it just took it to a whole new level.
We also had the pleasure of getting to stay with a friends in an epic share house in Zurich; filled with 12 beautiful creative people. The first night we slept downstairs in their music room, next to one of the girls’ felt hat making room, which was down the hall from their cinema room. Up 5 levels, past the 3 balconies and bedrooms for 12 people, was an attic leading to an atrium; an entirely wooden, nearly finished project by one of the guys who lived there who was a carpenter who was almost a qualified architect. During the day, our friend would take us out exploring the Swiss landscape. Then at night we would come back and have bon fires with the house and their friends. After being surrounded by such people and places, we were so inspired that it eventually spilled out of us and we ended up writing and recording the first demo for a new song called Anew (a song which will appear on our debut album) which we wrote using a pedal organ in their music room.
4) Yosemite Valley, California
While we were on our very first tour in North America, we wanted to check as much of the country as possible with the time we had. We had a few days off here and there and we knew we wanted to see as much as we could during our time in California. Driving down Highway 101 to see the sights of Big Sur, making our way through the Redwood forests to see the giant trees, and lastly; at the very top of our must-see list was Yosemite Valley.
We only had one day in the valley but geez it was worth every minute. Photos really don’t do this place justice and the pure scale of the place is insane. Huge mountains, gigantic waterfalls, massive trees; the place is incredible. There were so many hikes to do but we just didn’t have the time. This one is definitely on our list of places to go back to!
5) Gold Coast, Australia
We were tossing up between a few places for the last of the top 5 but we realised that we had to include our home in Australia. There’s a reason we have a song called ‘Home’. We live in one of the most beautiful places in the world. We never want to take that for granted. We both live in a share house on the Gold Coast with 4 of our best mates. It’s always so refreshing to come back home after tour to a place with fun waves, beautiful beaches, good coffee, good weather, and an epic community.
We’re super blessed to live here and it literally feels like we live in a holiday destination. We can see the beach from our balcony. Sleeping to the sounds of the ocean and waking up to the sun rising over the waves out front is always a treat. This place has a lot of history for us, we’ve made a lot of great memories here and it’s where a lot of the album was written. If you haven’t been to the Gold Coast, we would definitely recommend. Just make sure you stay clear of Surfer’s Paradise and go south.
Hollow Coves
2020 Australian Tour
Tickets available here
Thursday 16th January
Perth, Sewing Room
Friday 17th January
Adelaide, Jive Bar
Saturday 18th January
Melbourne, The Corner Hotel
Friday, 24th January
Oxford Arts Factory
Saturday 25th January,
The Triffid, Brisbane
