Tracklist:

1. Easy Rider Campfire Scene
2. Feist & Ben Gibbard – Train Song
3. Kina Grannis – Colorblind (Counting Crows Cover)
4. Flora Cash – Zombie (The Cranberries Cover)
5. Tom Speight & Lydia Clowes – Save Tonight (Eagle Eye Cherry Cover)
6. Hayden – I Need My Girl (The National Cover)
7. Raye Zaregosa – In The River
8. JT & Andrew – White People For Peace (Against me cover)
9. RelativelyComplete – The Violence (Rise Against Cover)
10. Mumford & Sons – The Boxer (Simon & Garfunkel Cover)
11. Asaf Avidan – Maybe You Are
12. Billy Clyro – Umbrella (Rhianna Cover)
13. Travis – Baby, One More Time (Britney Spears Cover)
14. Editors – An End Has A Start (MTV Acoustic)
15. Erica Sewell – Furr (Blitzen Trapper Cover)
16. Glen Hodgson – An Honest Mistake (The Bravery Cover)
17. Christina Vale – New Slang (The Shins Cover)
18. José Gonzales – Heartbeats
19. Post Malone – Feeling Whitney
20. Portugal. The Man – Created
21. Flora Cash – I’m Tired
22. Aaliya – Runaway
23. Oasis – Talk Tonight (Acoustic)
24. Slow Club – Never Look Back

I had never heard of the band until yesterday. It was a sunny Sunday, and I was sitting in the Beach Club of Lake Storkow in Brandenburg. My little daughter was next to me, eating an ice cream sandwich, and I had a cup of coffee in my hands while watching the sea. The place was not crowded, only seven people plus two workers, while outside there was a long waiting line at the local polling station next door.

I enjoyed this little peaceful moment, and in the background, a small Marshall speaker somewhere played some acoustic and folk music. While I recognized some of the tunes (Mumford & Sons), I also heard some songs I didn’t know. One track really got me to grab my phone to Shazam it. It returned “Hollow Coves with The Woods from their Wanderlust-EP”. I can’t think of any better music to score that beach scene moment. I just love when music frames a memory or the other way around.

So I looked up the band on Apple Music and found out that they had just released their second album “Nothing to Lose” in March 2024. I’ve listened to it, and after the last track, “See You Soon”, I hit play again. I repeated that for maybe five or six times now, and I feel something like I haven’t for a long time. I think it was back in 2010 or 2011, when I discovered Angus & Julia Stone with their second album “Down the Way” that touched me deeply. And now it’s again an Australian band with their second album that blows me away.

Interesting fact: without the Angus & Julia Stone, Hollow Coves probably wouldn’t exist.

“Ryan Henderson grew up without a musical background. When he was in high school, his friends took him to the Woodford Folk Festival to see the Folk and Indie pop group “Angus & Julia Stone.” This music inspired him to learn the guitar and eventually to his career.

Matt Carins grew up in Brisbane surrounded by music. His father is in a local cover band and has written albums. His mother plays and teaches piano and flute. He also has a sister who plays the piano and a brother who is in an alternative rock band.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollow_Coves

I am surprised, happy, and grateful to hear music like this in 2024. It brings back memories of Mumford & Sons, Kings of Convenience, Mighty Oaks, etc. As a musician myself, I understand that musicians outgrow where they came from. But as a listener, I am happy to still discover new “timeless” music like this. It’s (heart-)warming, uplifting, simple, not overloaded, positive with just the right amount of everything you need for a good album. This album is just like that perfect little moment at Lake Storkow, but in full album length. Maybe that moment leads me to value the album better than it actually is, but I don’t care.

The results of the European elections are devastating. They leave me speechless, helpless, clueless, hopeless, uncomprehending, tired, angry, and sad. It’s a slap in the face of every democratic European. A kick in the nuts for humanity. But this album gives me hope that not all the world is fucked. To me, this is the feel-good album of the year (so far). There’s so much beauty in this world, let’s fight for it. There’s nothing to lose. Don’t leave the world to assholes.