ALBUM: Holy Holy ‘When The Storms Would Come’

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If you’re a fan of Semisonic or The Boxer Rebellion, you need to open your ears to the sound of the incredible Holy Holy. Following the success of their EP, The Pacific, the Australian band are due to release their debut album When The Storms Would Come in the UK next week.

There is no calm before this musical storm – the band have already completed a sold out headline tour in Australia, and are heading to these shores to spread their success further. Opening track ‘Sentimental And Monday’ beautifully explains the blues of city commuters who are feeling too delicate for public transport on a weekday morning. “This darkness is nothing but a lack of light,” sings vocalist Timothy Carroll – his voice like a soothing tonic pouring in to tired ears as the atmospheric guitar gently eases listener’s awake.

‘Outside Of The Heart Of It’ is the sweetest soundtrack to a summer drive when “afternoons swallow you” whole, whilst third track ‘A Heroine’ is a triumphant mix of drums, riveting guitar, and more of Carroll’s stand out vocals. ‘History’ temporarily slows down the pace and laments the need to be remembered – “All I want is to hold a little piece of history between my teeth, it’s cold and hard like Mother’s grief”. Through stadium sized guitars, Holy Holy won’t be slipping through listener’s musical memories any time soon.

The irrepressible galloping rhythm of ‘If I Were You’ is hard to ignore, as is the honestly named ‘You Cannot Call For Love Like A Dog’. Love is an emotion which provides polar opposites on the reaction scale within the shortest of time periods, and Holy Holy articulate this through some stellar metaphors: “Love is the rain that falls in the night, hard in December, dry in July” being just one of the many examples throughout the track.

‘Wanderer’ will stir up mixed emotions about loneliness and resurrected romances, whilst the distorted vocal effect on ‘Holy Gin’ feels like the aural equivalent of the juniper-based spirit of the songs namesake. Your interpretation of the track will depend on how much gin you’ve ingested -“Holy water, gin & soda, wash me away, keep me clean, keep me sane” – but its wired, electric sound is easy listen to regardless of inebriation.

‘Pretty Strays For Hopeless Lovers’ is six minutes of catharsis via guitar, and ‘The Crowd’ takes a melancholy turn – further slowing down the pace with its careful piano and lyrics. Two bonus tracks close the album – ‘Impossible Like You’ & ‘House Of Cards’ – and demonstrate Holy Holy’s ability to mesmerise through their blend of intelligent lyrics, intricate guitar riffs, and truly soothing vocals.

When The Storms Would Come is released on 30th October via Sony Red.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

Kate Crudgington

Kate Crudgington

Assistant Editor for Gigslutz (2015-2017) Now Co-Founder, Co-Host & Features Editor for @getinherears