Hollow River’s album Back Bay Dropout is a refreshing pop punk record, although that might not be immediately obvious from the opening notes of Aspartame. But, as that chorus line comes crashing down with the smashing guitar chords and the more whiny vocals, you know you’re in the right place. Drawing influences from a diverse range of musical styles, the EP showcases Mark MacDonald’s unique blend of 90s/2000s Pop Punk with his own hip-hop flow and style.
The lead single, ‘The Way I Want To’, has already garnered over 100,000 streams on Spotify and critical acclaim for its bold and unapologetic lyrics. Opening with that raw and unfiltered acoustic plucking before the visceral and outlandish lyrics start to hit you, it’s then that the punk rock starts ramping up. “ Just The Way I Want To/Not The way you told me to, is one of the most powerful and catchy chorus starts that I’ve heard. It’s not hard to see why this track blew up the way it did.
Hollow River’s rap-emo anthem ‘I’ll Break Them Down’ speaks to the experience of surviving panic attacks and finding empowerment in truly knowing oneself. The album concludes with the six-minute opus ‘Ignite’, a powerful statement on the struggles of building community in a music scene that often excuses predators.
Overall, Back Bay Dropout is a solid offering from Hollow River, showcasing Mark MacDonald’s ability to blend different musical styles and create a unique lane in a crowded pop-punk field. There’s a certain candour to his performance, an honesty that comes through not just in his unapologetic lyricism but also the way he arranges each piece as something so markedly different from anything else you would have seen.