To Hell With Tradition is an independent music solo project founded in 2019 by Achim Hofmeyer, a
singer, songwriter, guitarist, pianist and music producer based in Heidelberg, Germany. We here at the Send Me Your Ears studio have been taking a listen to his latest release, Paper Cuts, which came out on June 24 2022.
Paper Cuts is an 80s feeling lo-fi track with clear European sounds. With retro feeling keys leading the way and some very “Holding Out For A Hero” 16 beat moments on the electronic drums, this is a catchy song that gets stuck in your head.
At times feeling a little Kraftwerk like, other times we could hear a little OMD influence in the instrumentation and vocals, Paper Cuts is nonetheless an original sounding track with a unique character.
The vocals are clear and up front in the mix. There’s some good use of “vocal creek” in the voice which adds some interest, and particularly makes the lyrics that begin with vowels stand out just that little bit more and add some extra interest.
The song develops well and has plenty of rise and fall to maintain interest. We listened several times! This one really does get under your skin.
In terms of production, a small boost in the 60-70Hz range will bring up the thump of the kick a little more. A boost around 250Hz will fill out the warmth and fullness in the low mids a little more. a wide boost across the upper mids centred around 8kHz would give the whole track a bit more brightness and presence overall. An additional shelf boost in the top octave will finish off the sound of the track with a bit of ‘air’. Finally, a little more stereo in the overall track might give it a better feeling of ’space’. As always these are just how it sounds to our ears. We already loved this track!
For lovers of European pop with retro stylings and lo-fi production, Paper Cuts is sure to win “To Hell With Tradition” some new fans. We’re excited to hear where this German musician will take things next!