To Hell With Tradition “Eggshells”
In the flashing light of flaming synth, a deep, blooming groove evokes a confrontation of the shadows. To Hell With Tradition tackles the theme of the uncanny with some of his most intimate compositions to date on his new album Blurred. Hauntingly cinematic and lyrically poignant, the Heidelberg based singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Achim Hofmeyer wonderfully weaves eeriness and beauty in a poetic, revelational storytelling.
“Eggshells” opens with a flashing synth that draws the listeners into a suspenseful atmosphere in the mix of light and dark. You know something is about to happen. It’s calm and nervous at the same time. There’s a level of surreality and mystery formed by the sound and dissonance. Without dropping any word or changing the chord progression, Hofmeyer has already had us standing in this exact field he wanted us to be.
The deep bass tunes into the background, giving it an instant filmic feeling that adheres to the album’s overall aesthetic. Through Hofmeyer’s lyrics, the revelation or the confrontation of the shadows and darkness is slowly unraveled, but the truth isn’t as horrifying as we anticipated. In this tune, To Hell With Tradition didn’t talk about anything we don’t already know. The chilling feeling is accompanied with a hint of liberation.
It’s interesting how the track changes its pace and shifts its energy from the initial suspense. It’s quite simple since the flashing synth already has a danceable element to it, but as the song dives in, you could feel how he discovers a deeper groove and pulsation underneath the pacing rhythm. There’s fire and power in there. Like a dark fascination, it gives out a feeling as if you are tuning into a ritual that took place in ancient time but it’s always around us, in the air.
The whispers and electronic-blazed guitar riff provide more visual content for the music as well adding another layer into the atmosphere. With Hofmeyer’s unfiltered vocal and a touch of melancholia, “Eggshells” achieves a rich and powerful storytelling within a relatively intimate instrumentation.
