Wish Road South: Vinyl LP

Pre-Order Item. Release Date Subject to Change.
Label: Loose Music
Release Date: 4th September

I was obsessed with Hollow Hand's last album 'Your Own Adventure' it touched on that time just after the English folk rock explosion where everyone started to work grooves into their song, pulled in some burgeoning punk edge from the pub rock scene and upped the American rock influences but still kept that sense of irreverent fantasy. 'Wish Road South' follows on that sound but on this first album band leader Max has made as a collaborative effort with his band, there are new elements of American Alt-Rock whether that's prime Eels or Beck and through to his touring partner MJ Lenderman with a touch of the blueprint indie rock outfit Velvet Underground.

Hollow Hand has always been a vehicle for Max Kinghorn-Mills’ songs, and it remains so, but having felt the spark and connectivity of being around more bands, he decided to change tack. “The way I've made albums previously has usually been huddled away in the tradition of a bedroom producer,” says Kinghorn-Mills. “But with this one I expanded my horizons and it made me realise there's so much more to playing, and being in a band, than just recording the songs.”

Along with Oliver Newton (drums) and Leo Clarke (bass) they got together in their new studio space in Brighton and tracked the songs live as a band. “With three of us being involved from the beginning, and all invested in it together, it feels like a group effort, which is a new thing for us,” Kinghorn-Mills says. “Our studio became really important as a creative space and, while it’s not Abbey Road, we were really able to up the production value.”

Since releasing 2023’s Your Own Adventure – which drew acclaim from the likes of Mojo, Uncut, and Shindig! – he found himself touring and collaborating with a variety of other artists. Hollow Hand became the house band for Caitlin Rose on tour, while Kinghorn-Mills was also collaborating with Aoife Nessa Frances and playing in her touring band. There was countless exposure to incredible Irish bands along the way, and then came a sold-out European tour with Hollow Hand supporting MJ Lenderman. When Kinghorn-Mills came back he was bursting with a newfound creative zeal. “Seeing all these different types of bands play, it just made me reflect,” he says. “It makes you step up your game and it creates a feeling that you want to do better. I don't want to ever feel like I'm going through the motions so I decided to start again.”

The result is a record in which you can feel the fun coursing through it, as the zest of a reconfigured and tightly-knit group of musicians burns as brightly as the beautifully melodic and unique songs that they’ve carved out. “It feels closer to the goal of sounding like a band playing live than anything else I've made before,” says Kinghorn-Mills. “I guess I needed that difficult time to find myself because I feel completely rejuvenated after making this record.”