Last August, Hollow Head’s Jim Adame and Elliott Miller took an expeditious approach to writing and recording their sophomore release.

The two bandmates from the Denver quartet created a makeshift studio at an Airbnb in Fairplay, Colorado to quickly capture the nine tracks for Hollow Head over six days.

“We didn’t go into this album with a theme in mind. The main thing that we wanted to do was write and record the majority of the songs together at once,” said Adame, the band’s vocalist-guitarist, about their new album.

“They all weren’t written at the same time, but most of them were written in a shorter period of time compared to A Spark of Madness. That’s more of a common theme with our songs.”

What resulted are nine tracks filled with honest, thoughtful, and vulnerable lyrics about processing internal struggles and sharing them with the outside world.

“That’s also why we decided to have the album be self-titled,” Adame said. “There wasn’t a lot of separation this time between Elliott and me—it was a lot more collaborative.”

Miller, Hollow Head’s vocalist-drummer, agreed: “It feels like our first true record. The other one was a bunch of different stuff pieced together.”

For Hollow Head, Miller and Adame also collaborated on a different sound, which shifts the band from their ethereal indie-folk beginnings on A Spark of Madness to raw alt-rock and ‘90s-inspired grunge reminiscent of Foo Fighters, Soundgarden, and Nirvana.

“We were intentional about that level of authenticity, and I think Elliott took the lead on that and got me on board with that. Songs that are released by anyone today … you have all the time in the world to make everything sound perfect and clean,” said Adame, who hails from Midland, Michigan along with Miller. 

“And because of that, songs can sound a little bit sterile and they lose that honesty. Elliott kept saying, ‘I want this to feel like a live album.’ I was maybe a little hesitant about that in the beginning, but then I quickly caught on to that.”

That live, stripped-down sonic approach seamlessly flows throughout Hollow Head, which features robust production and bass from Andy Reed of Reed Recording Company and fierce guitar from Ian Gerrard. [Bassist John Baldwin joined after the album was recorded.]

“It’s generally in the realm of rock, and there are times when it still pushes that boundary … and there’s some folk in there,” Miller said. “We wanted it to hit harder and capture some of the old things on the first album, but then bring the rhythm section more to the front on this album.”

Inside Hollow Head

Listeners instantly absorb that hard-hitting sound on the adrenalized opener, “I Can See You,” which confronts emotional vampires and drives a stake in problematic relationships.

Backed by impulsive electric guitar, energetic bass, and thunderous drums, Adame sings, “I am clinically a cynic / So I will question all your best intentions / No, you wanted it to be / A simple conversation / That’s not what I perceived.”

“Specifically with my songs … every song or topic is like a double-edged sword. I can’t have positive without negative, and I can’t have negative without positive,” Adame said. “I didn’t know that while writing and recording the songs, but after listening to them a lot, that seemed to be a common theme for me.”

“I Can See You” also references Hollow Head’s brief second-to-last closer, “a pink silhouette,” which serves as a reprise of the track and includes lo-fi electric guitar and acoustic guitar.

“In my songs, I feel like the themes just keep running to a certain extent … so it seemed fitting to have that reprise to cover and come back to ‘I Can See You,’” Adame said. “The album starts and ends with the first song in a way.”

After gaining clarity on “I Can See You,” Miller explores his evolution and ponders the future on “On My Mind.” Surrounded by frustrated electric guitar, bass, and drums, he sings, “You take a minute, you take your time / You throw your sanity on the line / And well, you’re falling apart / But you don’t seem to mind / Not at all.”

“It’s come together both instrumentally and lyrically over several years,” Miller said. “It’s about several things and different portions of my life over those years. Some of it is just looking at yourself and some of it is looking at your future.”

Adame carries a similar introspective theme on the emotional rocker, “Splinter,” which features rich harmonies and forlorn electric guitar, bass, and drums. 

He sings, “Could we ever be close enough? / Am I just a splinter in your skin? / Never thought I’d be intrusive / Yet here I am.”

“All of my songs touch on being in my head a bit, and this is the main one that’s an expression of overthinking and the thought process behind it,” Adame said. “There’s a frustration and a feeling of being cut off at the knees, but at the same time trying to be helpful and productive and wondering if that’s too much.”

That overwhelming feeling also permeates Miller’s “Save Me,” a reflective ballad about class distinctions and personal accountability. Comforted by cathartic electric guitar, he sings, “Dodging potholes in my state of flux / Deck chairs and pillow hair don’t mean much to me / I look over my shoulder, and you’re a little older now.”

“It’s along the lines of a class barrier that I grew up with, and it’s related to my romantic life for many years being seen as a little bit more of a project,” Miller said. “It’s a lower-middle-class person trying to date people that are all upper class and then getting away from that by moving and [realizing] how great that is.”

On the flip side, Adame cautiously examines newfound love on “Another Tuesday,” which includes soaring harmonies and sincere acoustic guitar, electric guitar, and drums.

He sings, “I see you / While the earth slowly fades from our view / There’s no burning quite like I do for you / I need you.”

“It’s technically the first love song that I’ve ever written, but it’s also about having your guard up and looking at the toxic side of being in love and whatnot,” Adame said. “It sounds very happy and overall it is, but it’s also keeping in mind the downfalls of that.”

Finally, Hollow Head honors longevity and commitment on “Follow Me,” a vibrant rendition of Scott McMath and Shelli Wixtrom’s poignant song. 

Immersed in grateful acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass, and drums, Miller sings, “Been around the world / If only in my mind / Seen a million places / You were never far behind.”

“I have some family friends back home who are husband and wife and they wrote that song together a long time ago. I grew up listening to it,” he said. “They’re going through an extremely hard time with a very bad diagnosis on his part and that song always meant a lot to me, so I wanted to cover it and put it on the album.”

After reflecting on the new album, Hollow Head is celebrating its release with a May 4 show at The Black Buzzard in Denver. It also features Helen Driesen, Lauren Frihauf, Immigrant’s Child, and Juno Rossa. 

Looking ahead, the band will embark on a short tour in July and perform in Salt Lake City, Portland, and Seattle.

“We’ve made a lot of connections, met a lot of people, established ourselves in the community, and built a reputation,” Adame said. “We’re focused on getting this album out and hitting the ground running playing as much as possible.”