Rivilin - 'University Telephone Hotline' single review
- Zara Fraser
- Apr 15, 2025
- 2 min read
“University Telephone Hotline” has one of the eeriest beginnings I’ve ever heard in a song. It’s so unique in its sound, that at first you almost feel like you’re wandering alone through an empty forest. The violin lures you in like the Pied Piper, presenting a façade of stillness before we’re thrust deep into a track that incorporates elements of both metal and rap. Amidst the rapping of the first verse our vocalist screams “WAKE UP”, jolting you to attention and signaling that the track is about to change direction yet again. Rivilin, a Brisbane based rap/hardcore/nu-metal band, have presented us with a dynamic track that incorporates metal screams, violin stillness, emotional rap and all-round chaos.
The chorus has a tune you can sing along to and is one that will be stuck in your head for a while. It only took a couple of listens until I found myself humming the chorus as I went about my day. In a 2021 interview with Intervals Podcast, Rivilin explained that the music takes inspiration from artists like Linkin Park and is a mix of “emo rap with nu metal”. You can hear those same Linkin Park inspired undertones in the bands current work.
The lyrics are brilliantly distinct. “Teeth filled with the flesh of another” and “constantly tearing at my skin just to see if I’m alive” offer unique visuals to the listener. Screaming these lyrics out only adds to the unexpectedness of the words. The song fades and intensifies throughout. At 1 minute, 10 seconds in, the loudness fades into a single violin note, before the intensity re-commences for an epic chorus. The end of the track feels as though it’s about to combust. All the elements of the track come together in a conglomeration of sound and it's as if you're watching a spinning record that could skip or fly off at any moment.
Rivilin’s guitarist, Boyd Harrod, said that the song has a feel based on the muse of Linkin Park, but is also “blending in industrial metal vibes of Nine Inch Nails and Black Light Burns, along with the moody, introspective tones of emo rap and hazy atmosphere of cloud rap.” He further stated that he hoped the song would be a “genre-defying mix that feels fresh”. Rivilin have realised this vision with ‘University Telephone Hotline’ and have created a song that has a range of musical elements and interesting twists.
I look forward to seeing how the band continues to develop their sound in the future, but for now, you can find me humming that chorus as I go about the rest of the day.
'University Telephone Hotline' is the first single from Rivilin's upcoming EP and will be accompanied by a music video from 'Ten of Swords'. Find the band on their socials here:
