Establishing the mood with a brooding bass guitar performance, expanding with high octane drums and intricate guitar, Hollow Shift open Rat Race with pulsating nuance and a dramatic dark-wave edge.
The opus expands with atmospheric vocals and metaphorical depth as we are taken on a thought-provoking and philosophical journey about life in the proverbial Rat Race. “I don’t think you’re gonna last long in this Rat Race…” shares the band before a dimensional sonic interlude tapping into a techno-rock adjacency.
If The Cure was born in 2025 and grew up at UNFOLD in East London, this is what they would sound like! Having said that, Hollow Shift are actually an Athens-based electronic duo who are former members of Keep Shelly.
They tell us, “Rat Race is a gritty reflection on the anxiety of modern life.” They also confess how lyrics like “I don’t think you’re gonna last long in this rat race empty space and a veil over your face” are designed to sum up the track’s claustrophobic energy and raw urgency.
The track is perfect for a massive TV show synch deal – perhaps something like Severance where the concept of the song can be brought to life with the themes of the show. In the context of the show, “severance” refers to a surgical procedure that divides an employee’s consciousness between their work self and their home self. This creates a complete separation of memories and experiences between the two selves, allowing employees to work in a highly confidential environment without their personal lives influencing their work, and vice versa.
We love what Rat Race stands for and how relatable it is to many of us who are stuck between two worlds. We have added the track to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and our TIMELESS and TRIPPY playlists, whilst we continue to stream the wider discography of Hollow Shift, including Clash and Gaffer Tape.