Harry Hochman’s “Inside Out” is a track that’s literally been years in the making. Hochman pursued a different career path for the majority of his life before turning toward music in full and listeners knowledgeable about this will get the feeling of a man unleashed listening to this single. It doesn’t shoot storming out of the gate, there’s a measured presence filling each second of the song, but the bright step in its movement flashes with true inspiration.
Coupling that with Hochman’s soulful yet exuberant vocals makes for a great union. There’s a lot going on during this song. He isn’t focusing on one single subject throughout the course of Hochman’s lyrics, there’s close-up commentary on his life alongside commentary about the world at large, but Hochman’s writing achieves a prevailing mood. It’s a coherent listening experience on every level. His singing, however, places a final accent on the song that helps sear it into the listener’s memories.
Teaming Hochman’s singing with Chris Murphy’s mandolin playing is a superb idea. They have an innate chemistry that you hear from the first listen to this song, and you’ll likely be eager to how well it sustains itself over the course of a full-length album. Murphy does turn the spotlight on his instrumental talents in his role as a producer either. “Inside Out” certainly sounds like a team effort and the across-the-board balance evident in Murphy’s production of the song is a major part of its foundation.
Possessing the good sense to never let things go on too long is essential for modern songwriters. Listeners’ attention spans are briefer than ever. “Inside Out” runs four minutes and forty-one seconds in length, but you’ll never feel like you’re having to labor through hearing the song. The track’s tempo is, of course, a big reason why. It’s Murphy’s production skills at work, once again, as the airy separation between each of the song’s instruments gives the up-tempo track an added fleet-footed spring in its step.
He varies the song’s perspective with skill. “Inside Out” never sounds like a narrow close-up on its subject but, instead, attempts to sample the flavor of life as fully as possible. His voice reflects this ambition as there’s wider diversity than you may think underpinning Hochman’s vocal approach. “Inside Out” may strike you as a very simple song on first listen, but it isn’t. Go back. Live with this song for a while. The more you hear it, the more you’ll understand just how deep Hochman’s talents run.
We’ll get to hear plenty of evidence for that in the future. Inside Out promises to be a career-defining step for Harry Hochman based on the single “Inside Out” and the track will inspire the scores of newcomers sure to hear to come back for more. He’s in the proverbial zone. You hear a man on the cusp of realizing himself as never before as a creative being and it’s a thrilling thing to bear witness to. You finish this song wishing it didn’t have to end somehow.
Claire Uebelacker