A leopard print velvet heart feels like something you’d stumble across in the mothballed clothing section of a charity shop. Fittingly, Sam Hollis has created a soundscape that perfectly befits this bizarre, yet thrifty, scenario.
Beginning with an eerie, Doors-esque organ plod, spiky but languid guitars rollick over a brooding bassline as Hollis’ smooth brogue speaks distantly like the voyeur in an Amsterdam whore ranch. As the chorus hits its peak, his hitherto ominous baritone bleeds into a wounded falsetto, his cracked vocals pleading to be saved and intimidated in equal measure. “Love me…fuck me,” he commands, but his wounded demeanour suggests his heart wouldn’t be in either.
Atmospheric and highly enjoyable, ‘Leopard Print Velvet Heart’ bodes well for Hollis’ upcoming album, the Gizzard-esque titled Sam Hollis & the Glow in the Dark Lizards, due for release on April 21. For more of his tunes, head to his Soundcloud.
