We’re glad to announce that Heidelberg, Germany-based solo project To Hell With Tradition release a brand new concept album, entitled Blurred, LISTEN NOW!!!
To Hell With Tradition is an independent solo music project founded in 2019 by Achim Hofmeyer, a singer, songwriter, guitarist, pianist and music producer. Achim has always felt the urge to express himself in creative ways, even in the earliest years of his childhood. As a child of an army officer, Achim was relocated all over Germany every other year during the first 13 years of his life, until he was eventually sent to boarding school, where he was finally able to form long-term connections. It was also there that Achim began playing guitar, and wrote his first songs.
“For as long as I can remember, there has been this universal force about certain music coming, for example, from the speakers of my parents‘ yellow, old BMW whenever we took a ride and listened to random mixtapes. A force that – if only for a moment, for the duration of a couple of bars – made me feel a soothing oneness with the entire universe and yet a bittersweet ancient longing born out of the knowledge about the general volatileness of this sensation,” Achim says about his deep-rooted connection to music.
Ever since starting out as a songwriter, Achim Hofmeyer has been on a spiritual mission to create these sorts of precious moments through his music. As such, he considers the elements of authenticity, depth and genre-independence to be essential. Rather than writing music based on what people might want to hear, or what might be the best for commercial success, Achim instead creates music to get himself into those spaces that he has cherished so much for all his life. After all, music should be art—not business.
Achim has released two previous concept albums as As To Hell With Tradition, his self-titled debut album (2020) and Stitches (2021). Now To Hell With Tradition is returning with a third concept album, Blurred, to be released this Friday (August 26th).
Blurred opens with “Drover,” which sets a reflective tone for the album; resounding piano notes underscore Achim’s impressive vocal melodies and thoughtful lyrics as the track’s uplifting melodic progression slowly unfolds, bringing about an intuitively introspective mood. The next song, “Culprit,” is characterized by a faster tempo, beginning with driving percussion rhythms and resonant bass, accented by glowing electric keyboards on the upbeats; and as the vocals join in for the first verse, they add nicely to the track’s energetic and suspenseful atmosphere. After a compelling chorus, highlighted by bright yet haunting piano notes, syncopated rhythms further develop the song’s dynamic structure; and as the final keyboard note fades out with its electric glow, the lead single from the album (“Monuments“) begins.
With poetic and inspiring lyrics that perfectly accompany the track’s bittersweet melodies, “Monuments” begins with Achim’s captivating vocals and somber keyboard notes. The song’s powerful percussion rhythms then enter the mix during the chorus, as sustained electric organ drones and arpeggios from a piano highlight “Monuments”’ poignant vocal melodies. Synthesizer arpeggios later join in to bring the track into an uplifting conclusion, as a bright, oscillating synth bridges “Monuments” seamlessly into the next track, “Eggshells” (which will have a separate video campaign beginning next month). Starting with this oscillating synth motif and Achim’s poetic lyrical passages, “Eggshells” progresses through creative rhythmic patterns and layered keyboard melodies, leading towards a memorable electric guitar-like synth solo, highlighted by organic drumming and bright, buzzing keyboard notes—ultimately leading into the song’s epic concluding choruses.
Next is “The Baton,” previously released as a single (our review here). Dark bass synth rhythms set a melancholic atmosphere for the track, nicely complementing Achim’s somber vocal melodies and the sustained electric keyboards that soon join in. During the track’s memorable chorus, bright synth notes provide the perfect counterpoint to Achim’s emotive vocal melodies; while a hypnotic instrumental section toward the end of the track, led by intertwining keyboard leads, then bridges smoothly into a final chorus. “Mercenaries” then begins with a march-like shuffle from the snare drum and expressive piano notes on the downbeats. Sustained electric organ notes later add quite well to the slowly unfolding melodies and suspenseful atmosphere that characterize “Mercenaries”’ compelling lyrical passages, before the track transitions seamlessly into “Howling,” with low, alternating piano notes and brisk percussion rhythms.
Building on the suspenseful air of “Mercenaries,” “Howling” later resolves this sense of tension with quieter, reflective refrains—highlighted at first by contemplative piano notes and later by regal trumpet melodies that lead into an uplifting apex—before the song then concludes with return of its adrenaline-inducing piano motif. “Ghosts” then begins with dissonant electric keyboard notes, creating a gloomy atmosphere for Achim’s low vocal melodies and pensive lyrics, before the drums suddenly become louder as bright, layered synths raise the song up into the expressive flight of its uptempo chorus. These dynamic percussion rhythms carry over into the next verses, sustaining an eerie atmosphere along with the dissonant keyboard notes and further intertwining keyboards leads that join in to bring the song’s into its inspiring concluding choruses.
The last echoing bass synth notes from “Ghosts” then bridge into “The Trap,” with its upbeat percussion rhythms and creative metaphorical lyrics belying the song’s serious lyrical themes. Vivid electric keyboard notes later add to “The Trap”’s lighthearted energy and playful uptempo vibe; while towards the end of the song, a wonderfully retro-sounding synth lead weaves its way into the track’s concluding refrains, where layers of keyboards weave together to create an epic culmination of sound—before the song eventually dissolves into a wash of distorted static noise. The next song, “Paper Wall,” then brings the listener to a more delicate, melancholic vibe, as Achim’s reflective vocal passages are highlighted by gentle falling piano notes and a leisurely shuffle from the drums. Towards the end of the track, “Paper Wall”’s bittersweet mood is momentarily lifted with buoyant piano and vocal melodies, underscored by deep bass notes and intensified percussion rhythms, before the song descends back into a quieter, more introspective setting.
“Paper Cuts” follows, with layered piano and keyboard leads nicely accompanying the song’s uplifting vocal melodies throughout its uptempo verses and memorable choruses. Syncopated rhythms from the percussion then evolve throughout the track, building perfectly on the song’s bright and dynamic mood. The album then closes with “Fences,” which slowly builds a sense of gratitude throughout its slow, reflective lyrical passages. The serene melodies of trumpets later join in, intertwining together wonderfully, while perfectly accompanying Achims’ sentimental lyrics and thoughtful vocal passages.
Blurred is quite an impressive concept album from beginning to end, succeeding brilliantly in conveying To Hell With Tradition’s pillars of authenticity and depth; each song on Blurred is inspiring and creatively original, while flowing seamlessly together to create a wonderfully cohesive work that transcends the confines of any single genre of music. Highly recommended.
Don’t forget to support this project and to follow on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube, and Spotify. You can also check out his official website. If you enjoy his music and are able to provide monetary support, you might consider downloading it on Bandcamp.
You can obviously find it in the following Playlists: Less Than 1,000 Followers, Fresh Singles, Indie Only, Alterindie State Of Mind, 12 New Songs This Week, Chill Folk Acoustic, Sickest & Dopest, and Unknown But Essentials!.
P.S. If you enjoy discovering new artists and fresh new music you can subscribe to this blog Less Than 1,000 Followers and follow the Playlist with all the artists that we have presented here!!!
This coverage was created via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
Music enthusiast and Phish fan, who especially enjoys listening to stoner-, psychedelic-, and space rock
2 responses to “To Hell With Tradition – Blurred”
Interesting, Germany based but he sounds very English to me. Perhaps that’s because of the relocations being a military child.
You might be right.