4/5
Inhaler shocked the rock world with the release of their latest track, showing fans that the band has much more in store than many might have expected.
“Hole In The Ground,” released on Oct. 29, was a surprise single from the Irish rock band, Inhaler. Whether this track is the start of a new era or simply a continuation of the previous one is currently anyone’s guess.
“To us, ‘Hole In The Ground’ is a song that was born out of our stream of consciousness,” frontman Eli Hewson said. “Some time away from writing allowed us to go into the studio with a sort of blank slate, which felt inspiring. It can be hard to talk about the meaning of your songs sometimes, but we see it as something fragile growing amongst a wreckage […] Or that last blurry memory you have of a person. It’s sort of a meditation on hope and keeping yourself awake to life.”
The band described the track as “a yearning anthem blending melancholic hooks, layered guitars and gauzy atmospherics underpinned by a hypnotically pulsing groove.”
Like their third album, Open Wide, “Hole In The Ground” was recorded with Kid Harpoon at the famous Abbey Road Studios.
Expansive and hazy, “Hole In The Ground” takes the Dublin quartet further on their journey toward a new sound. It becomes clear within the first few seconds of the song that the track feels different from the band’s previous work. The echoey, transparent nature of the track contrasts the heavy guitar rhythms and crashing drums that populate It Won’t Always Be Like This and Cuts & Bruises, leaving the listener always waiting for the next bar — desperate to know what will come next.
A quiet momentum propels the track which directs it down a clear sonic path. Hewson’s voice is plaintive and whiny, a mixture between a yearning need and a completely restrained ache. Guitarist Josh Jenkinson keeps the track moving with intricate, shimmery guitar lines that dance alongside the subtle but necessary rhythm section.
Fluttering like an anxious heart beating inside a chest, “Hole In The Ground” never loses its drive. Pushing forward, every second of this track feels entirely new and expansive.
Although it isn’t my favourite track from Inhaler, I can appreciate the ingenuity and care that went into writing and producing it. It feels like it was born from a completely separate entity and not the band that created some of my favourite tracks from It Won’t Always Be Like This and Cuts & Bruises, which I can acknowledge as being both good and bad. While I love the original sound the band came out with all those years ago, I understand that creative change is necessary to avoid becoming stagnant.
Even though Inhaler has departed from their roots, they are opening their souls to something new and exploring an expansive and exciting musical sound. They continue to push the boundaries of what their fans will accept, never afraid of what others will think of the kind of music that makes them happy.
This is clearly displayed in their newest track, “Hole In The Ground.”