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May 17, 2021 By Caleb Campbell Photography by Katy Ng

Hong Kong shoegaze outfit Lucid Express came together in 2014, only weeks before pro-democracy protests erupted, launching the band’s home city into turmoil that has not abated even now. In the heat of political division and state suppression, singer Kim Ho found that “...it felt like we have a need to hold on to something more beautiful than before. Like close friendships, the band, our creation.”

In response the band dove into lush and colorful shoegaze soundscapes, finding a brief escape from the chaos of their home with their upcoming self-titled debut. After already sharing “Wellwave” from the record in April, the band now have indulged further in kaleidoscopic dream pop with their newest track “Hollowers,” premiering with Under the Radar.

Rich waves of melody and dense hypnotic layers of guitar once again bring the band’s style to life on “Hollowers,” weaving a lucid fever dream of crashing instrumentation and welcoming melodicism. Ethereal arpeggiated synth lines mix with the cacophonous roar of guitars, all while Kim’s airy vocals provide the weightless counterpoint to the thick effects-laden shoegaze atmosphere.

The track also features the band’s sole collaboration on the upcoming record, with Adam Honingford of San Francisco group The Bilinda Butchers. After meeting Honingford on a Hong Kong stop of a Bilinda Butchers tour, the band were on the lookout to include him on a track. “From the first time we heard Adam on stage in Hong Kong, we always wanted to ask him to sing on one of our songs,” Kim says. “Hollowers” offers the perfect chance as Honingford’s vocals slot easily into the brooding haze the band crafts on the track.

Check out the song below and pre-order Lucid Express, out July 14th via Kanine Records.