Grand Rapids, Michigan-based metalcore slingers HOLLOW FRONT recently announced their third album The Fear of Letting Go. It arrives October 27 via UNFD. Pre-order it here.
Today, they have shared the video for "Will I Run?" Watch it below.
"'Will I Run?' is a song about the struggle of fighting your inner demons, who tell you're not good enough, and resisting the urge to turn around and run away from your problems when things get hard," says singer Tyler Tate.
"[Guitarist] Lee [Albrecht] actually wrote a majority of the lyrics on this song. He struggled with depression and self-doubt when his daughter was being born. Wondering whether or not he was going to be a good dad or if he was going to fail, so that's where he was coming from with the lyrics. And I think this is a very relatable feeling. When I first became a dad, things were terrifying. I didn't know anything and that made it even scarier."
He continues, "I think this song can be interpreted many ways. 'Running Away' from our last album had a similar message. You can't always run away from your problems, regardless of how badly you want to. This was also the first song we've written where a majority of my parts are singing, instead of screaming. That's definitely a change for us, but we want to be able to write whatever song we want, and losing Dakota left that box unchecked, so we decided to experiment with my voice. I think the results were better than we expected and the fans of our more intimate and emotional songs will really enjoy this track."
This Grand Rapids, MI duo — Tate and Lee Albrecht [guitar ] — emerged from a season of seemingly endless trials and tribulations. Instead of backing down, they transform the chaos around them into unpredictable and undeniable anthems.
"The album is a journey out of feeling helpless in a situation I don't have control over," notes Tyler. "I've realized the only thing I have control over is the choice to move on and keep going. That's all I'm doing. I'm not ready to give up yet."
There's no reason to…
Hollow Front have consistently captivated audiences by tempering unfettered heaviness with undeniable melodies. The band emerged as a fan favorite with Loose Threads in 2020. After the album tallied 1 million streams during release-week, "Afflicted" eventually racked up over 7.2 million Spotify streams and counting. The 2022 follow-up, The Price of Dreaming, earned widespread critical acclaim. New Noise Magazine hailed it as "a blistering and bruising experience, evoking myriad emotions and conveying a heady and moving blend of euphoria and despair." Distorted Sound dubbed it "metalcore at its most earnest." Along the way, they shared stages with everyone from Fit For a King and We Came As Romans to Dayseeker and August Burns Red.
At the same time, the guys weathered one storm after another. A van accident, subsequent financial strife, and lineup shifts left Hollow Front a two-piece by the end of 2022. So, the pair hunkered down and wrote, mixed, and mastered what would become The Fear of Letting Go in its entirety with Lee producing and recording out of his home studio. For the first time, Tyler also assumed both heavy and clean vocal duties.
