'A sonic shift': Austin Feinstein ready to bring Slow Hollows to Meow Wolf

Apr. 9—Austin Feinstein is in Portland, Oregon, gearing up for a performance while on his tour.

As the mastermind behind Slow Hollows, there's a lot of work that has to be completed in order for a show to go well.

"There's a lot of patience," Feinstein says. "It's a lot of hurry up and wait to get to that magical moment on stage."

Slow Hollows released "Bullhead" earlier this year and it marks the first album in three years for Feinstein.

He is on tour, which is slated to make a stop on Thursday, April 11, at Meow Wolf in Santa Fe.

"I've never played there before," he says. "It's going to be an amazing show for sure. Just being in the venue will be inspiring."

Feinstein began working on the songs for "Bullhead" after the band dissolved in 2020.

The album finds Feinstein stripping things back to an elemental place.

He found inspiration in the music from Neil Young and Elliott Smith, which resulted in a rich, layered body of work.

Slow Hollows released three singles off the album — "Soap," "Idle Hands" and "Tired."

Feinstein paid homage to his grandmother with the album title.

"My grandma calls stubborn people bullheaded and it always stuck with me," he says. "I really relate to that term."

The 26-year-old Los Angeles songwriter has spent the past decade following his arrow, doggedly reinventing and honing his music across a diverse collection of LP's. 2015's "Atelophobia" and 2016's "Romantic" both explored the fringes of indie rock, and put Feinstein on Frank Ocean's radar, who tapped him to sing the chorus of Blonde's "Self Control."

In 2019, Slow Hollows' palette expanded further, incorporating elements of R&B and dance music, and production contributions from Tyler, the Creator.

Despite the breakthrough moment, Feinstein and company decided the project had run its course, and announced that Slow Hollows was no more.

Five years later, he's back.

"The last album felt like an effort to shed any identity Slow Hollows may have formed with our previous music," Feinstein says. "When it comes to 'Bullhead,' making a sonic shift towards the sounds of early Slow Hollows records felt like something I needed to do for myself."

Feinstein says the nine tracks are a testament to his stubborn perfectionism.

"Making a cohesive album was the most important thing to me," he says. "Having some time away from the band made me realize what Slow Hollows stood for. It's hard to realize what you're getting at when you're doing it. Making a sonic shift towards the sounds of early Slow Hollows records felt like something I needed to do for myself."

Feinstein knew the album was going to be short and concise.

"When I found a flow, I leaned into that," he says. "I tried not to add too many things to get distracted. I wanted the lyrics and music to count for something. It's been the most rewarding process."