"Hollow"

The Handsome Family have been around since Moses wore short pants. In fact, this year they celebrate 30 years as a band. 30 is an almost unimaginable figure in the genre, where the burn time of bands are low. Against this background, it's not strange that their production rate is slowing down. It's been seven years since their latest album, "Unseen" was released. And before that, it took four years to complete their ninth album, "Wilderness". May it be by serendipity or by coincidence, but they will release their eleventh studio album, "Hollow" later this year on classic black vinyl LP, CD, digitally and on cassette tape. It will be released on 9 September 2023. I have preordered a cd copy. Two singles from the forthcoming album have been released, "Joseph" and "Skunks". The former song has foreboding lyrics. "Smash the windows, lock the doors. Cover the mirrors. Call the dogs. Pull up the floorboards. Tap on the walls. Look into the eyes of that old porcelain doll, Come into the circle, Joseph. There’s no moon tonight…". The latter song is a jingle for an imaginary pest control service. In dusty home movies, Brett crawls in and out of nooks and crevices, inspecting the apparatus and searching for varmints. "Squirrels in the basement / Raccoons in the walls / Centipedes with stingers / Do not feed to dogs". The Handsome Family have managed to produce high quality albums throughout their career. Hopefully, the new album will be worth waiting for. Maybe, it will even stand out. Obviously, it could happen.