When Kris Barras decided to reconnect with his Soul & Blues roots, it meant stepping away from his self-titled band and its heavier sounds, from which Hollow Souls were born.
This E.P. brilliantly highlights the direction Barras is now taking. The six songs on offer demonstrate tremendous depth and feel; you could call it supersonic blues! Barras is joined by bassist Leighton Allen and drummer Joe Harris, with Phoebe Jane fronting the group.
This E.P. features a multitude of guests, including Jared James Nichols on the explosive opener ‘Borderline’. Chris Tapp is superb on the raw Blues of ‘Bad Things’ where he duets with Jane to significant effect; some meaty, nasty guitar infuses this song. ‘I Need The Fire’ pounds out of the speakers as Phoebe Jane attacks her vocal lines, in a similar way to Lee-La Baum of Canadian Rockers the Damn Truth. A complete change of pace follows as Elles Bailey takes her turn at the microphone. I am quite partial to Bailey’s lightly Country-infused vocals; it is the most immediate song on offer, thus making it almost a standalone track. ‘Shotgun’ fires its salvo with pounding drums and dirty riffs; this time, Jon Harvey is the guest performer.
Like me, you might be getting a bit confused by the constant changes, especially in the vocal department. It gets a bit more confusing when Barras states that on the forthcoming EP, ur bothelf and Jane will both be covering all the vocals; my guess is they will have a totally different feel and vibe to this EP. I am not sure if, despite its excellence, the guest spots help with the overall project.
On to the final track, ‘Chasing Ghosts’, which features some whistling at the end, it is a slow, brooding ballad of sorts; it is plaintive and impassioned, and the shared vocals are superb. For me, this is the highlight of an E.P. that twists and turns in too many directions.
For each song has a life and feel of its own, how well they work collectively, I remain unsure. I guess I will find out when I see them performed live at the John Peel Centre in Stowmarket. For now, all I can say is: great cover design, I need the T-shirt.
Review: Paul Mace
Hollow Souls which is released on 10th October on limited edition 10” vinyl, CD and digital. Pre-order the Hollow Souls EP now at https://shop.hollowsouls.co.uk |
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KRIS BARRAS’ HOLLOW SOULS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2025 UK TOUR WITH SPECIAL GUEST TROY REDFERN TICKETS AVAILABLE FROM THE GIG CARTEL OCTOBER Thu 16 – Bedford, Esquires Fri 17 – Chesterfield, Real Time Live Sat 18 – London, Camden Underworld Sun 19 – Stowmarket, John Peel Centre Wed 22 – Shoreham, Ropetackle Thu 23 – Cardiff, The Globe Fri 24 – Leek, Foxlowe Arts Sat 25 – Gloucester, Guildhall Sun 26 – Norwich, Waterfront Studio Wed 29 – Grimsby, Docks Academy Thu 30 – Huddersfield, Parish Fri 31 – Birmingham, Castle & Falcon NOVEMBER Sat 1 – Stockton, Georgian Theatre Sun 2 – Carlisle, Old Fire Station Tue 4 – Glasgow, Oran Mor Wed 5 – Edinburgh, La Belle Angele Thu 6 – York, Crescent Fri 7 – Blackpool, Waterloo Sat 8 – Southampton, Suburbia Sun 9 – Tavistock, Wharf # # # Photos of Hollow Souls by Blackham Images |