by Ryan Meyer (@meyer_ryan_twt)
Hovvdy, the indie duo featuring Charlie Martin and Will Taylor, has released their fourth record in five years, True Love, which, cliché as it sounds, is a perfect fall record. There’s something about open tunings and vocal harmonies on a delightfully slow-fi record that pairs well with the transition from warm to cold, which is ironic given the group’s Austin, TX roots. Hovvdy’s acoustic guitars are mixed and layered flawlessly with the quiet vocals, which creates the most memorable moments on the record, like the chorus of “Junior Day League,” one of the highlights of True Love.
The electronic-leaning “Hope” reverts to familiar Hovvdy territory after a pleasantly surprising synth-laden beginning, but never drops the glitching sounds that make it unique on a mostly-acoustic record. The moments that do feature electric guitar do so perfectly, in a capacity where the instrument doesn’t interrupt the carefully-constructed layers of guitars, vocals and the occasional piano, like the one that wraps up “Joy.”
“Around Again” begins with a near-country introduction that works well with Hovvdy’s self-described “pillowcore” sound, as they explore an avenue paved by the sounds of the War on Drugs and copied by the Killers’ recent releases, descending into a cacophonic, shredding finish. Lead single “True Love” echoes of Pinegrove but works as an anthem in a record filled with subtle, finely-tuned gems. One of the most beautiful songs on the record is “One Bottle,” with flawlessly traded vocals between Martin and Taylor and a Bon Iver-esque falsetto near the end of the song.
True Love is a record meant to be paired with things evoked in the music, like a two-hour conversation on the porch swing mentioned in “One Bottle,” and quite frankly there’s no better place for Hovvdy’s music to exist than in life’s underrated moments.