Kris Barras Recruits The Cold Stares' Chris Tapp For 'Bad Things'

07-31-2025

(Noble) Kris Barras' new UK blues-rock collective Hollow Souls release their third single "Bad Things," this time joining forces with Chris Tapp, the driving force behind acclaimed band The Cold Stares. The single is available on all streaming platforms from Thursday July 31st.

"Having already released two belting singles featuring guest stars from across the pond, "Borderline" feat. guitarist Jared James Nichols and "Shotgun" feat. Jon 'Marv' Harvey from Monster Truck, Hollow Souls led by Kris Barras, continues their stellar collaborative winning streak with "Bad Things."

Kentucky natives (but now based out of Indiana) The Cold Stares are a long-standing duo (recently turned trio) fronted by guitarist and vocalist Tapp. After both becoming leading lights in a new wave of blues-rock signed to Mascot Records' Provogue imprint, Barras and Tapp started a friendship born of a mutual admiration over the past few years. Known for their fresh take on blues and southern rock styles, Tapp's song-writing for The Cold Stares has seen them soundtrack famous video games and TV commercials.

Barras, with co-collaborator and long-standing bandmate Josiah J Manning, having already sketched the basic outline of the song, on this occasion knew that Tapp would be the perfect partner to co-write and record remotely from his home studio in Evansville IN. The result is a devilishly upbeat and subtly swampy earworm that interplays Tapp's effortlessly cool verses with Hollow Souls' lead vocalist Phoebe Jane's punchy choruses.

Barras says, "I have admired Chris and the work of Cold Stares for a long while and I've sort of been waiting for the right track to work on together to drop out of my head. I knew instantly he would take this song up ten notches. He did, and I'm so grateful to have him involved."

"When considering guests for this album, Chris Tapp from The Cold Stares was always high up on my list. We've been friends since meeting on the Joe Bonamassa 'Keeping the Blues Alive at Sea' cruise, and I've been a fan of his work for a good while."

It's important for me to have the guests bring their own flavour to the songs and put their own stamp on things. I sent Chris what Josiah and I had been working on, and he had free rein with the verses. We loved what he came back with and turned it into a duet with Hollow Souls' main singer Phoebe Jane."

Fresh from their first-ever live performance on the main stage at Maid of Stone Festival where the band performed a 'secret set,' Hollow Souls are pleased to announce Troy Redfern as their special guest on their 20-date Autumn UK tour. Troy, known for his explosive slide guitar and energetic performances, is hugely celebrated for the wall of sound he creates from a mere two-piece guitar and drum combo, which will perform on every Hollow Souls date of the upcoming tour.

OCTOBER
Thu 16 - Bedford, Esquires
Fri 17 - Chesterfield, Real Time Live
Sat 18 - London, Camden Underworld
Sun 19 - Stowmarket, John Peel Centre
Wed 22 - Shoreham, Ropetackle
Thu 23 - Cardiff, The Globe
Fri 24 - Leek, Foxlowe Arts
Sat 25 - Gloucester, Guildhall
Sun 26 - Norwich, Waterfront Studio
Wed 29 - Grimsby, Docks Academy
Thu 30 - Huddersfield, Parish
Fri 31 - Birmingham, Castle & Falcon

NOVEMBER
Sat 1 - Stockton, Georgian Theatre
Sun 2 - Carlisle, Old Fire Station
Tue 4 - Glasgow, Oran Mor
Wed 5 - Edinburgh, La Belle Angele
Thu 6 - York, Crescent
Fri 7 - Blackpool, Waterloo
Sat 8 - Southampton, Suburbia
Sun 9 - Tavistock, Wharf