“Hollow Day,” the first collaborative single from HARMONY AND ALEX, blends the artfulness of freak-folk with the directness of folk-punk. The two Boston artists, Harmony Pulaski and Alex Walton, perform live with effortless chemistry in the Pulaski-fronted band, Harmony’s Cuddle Party. With “Hollow Day,” and its accompanying video, the duo translates the humor and heart that define their performances to songwriting and recording.

Melodic synths accompany layers of unrelenting acoustic guitar and driving percussion, complimenting the song’s melding of angst and hope. Harmony and Alex create a fine line between inspiration and despair and then blur it. Impossibly aspirational lyrics like the second verse’s, “Everyone’s so beautiful, everyone is the same size/Everyone gives everything everybody really tries,” clash against – and add ambiguity to – uplifting lines like, “Take advantage of the ceiling/make it high, then fly.” The duo cleverly sums up this conflict with the Hollow Day/Holiday double entendre in the refrain, which rings out just as tragically as it does triumphantly. 

“Hollow Day” is every bit as inventive as each of its creators back catalogs, making it an exciting first glimpse at their upcoming collaborative record “THE WORLD IS KIND TO ALL BEAUTIFUL BOYS AND GIRLS.”