Life isn’t easy, but the hardest part of it is death. No matter what your beliefs are, we all get hurt when we lose the ones we love to death. And we all grieve and deal with the suffering in different ways. The indie pop rock artist Kit Citrine, after her father passed away, crafted her new song, “Hollow,” with mixed emotions, pain, and rage.
Art stands by us through thick and thin, and Kit Citrine used music to express her feelings as they wrote “Hollow” overnight after they got back from her dad’s funeral. It totally makes sense to me; I used writing as a way out when I lost a close one to death.
Producing such vulnerable sentiments in a strong way is not something many can do, but Kit did! When I read that it’s kind of a grief song, I expected it to be melancholic, but it’s delivered in an edgy, powerful way. It was a kind of surprise that I admired.
Kit Citrine is an incredibly talented musician who made the music, lyrics, arrangements, performance, and production of the song all by herself, giving us a very personal, intense track that is relevant to anyone who has lost a close person, especially a family member.
A mystic, wistful intro opens “Hollow.” The vocals start gloomy and forlorn, but they grow stronger with a rage and rebellion timbre while having a delicate, emotional tone all along. The solid vocal ability surely matches the dark pop/rock with a gothic hint vibe.
The lyrics are the element that hits hard! Being written in the midst of the fresh pain made it capture all the emotions, aches, and emptiness the griever feels. It’s illustrated in a line like, “Nothing works at all to mend the part that died with you.” The lyrical theme also touches on the part where people are superficial with one pain, underestimate it, and expect you to be over it in no time.
All of the instruments sound like they’re angry and confused. The drumming resembles the thousand thoughts that race through one’s mind at once; the piano depicts sadness with its mellow notes, and the guitars combine sorrow and rage. Their arrangement matched the progression of the vocal timbre perfectly.
I believe we can find consolation when we share our wounds. Kit Citrine made a song to reflect her emotions, and it turned out to be musically and emotionally astonishing and touching. “Hollow” below is a song that not everyone may understand and know how strong it’s-lucky who won’t-but who feels its pain will taste its solace.
