by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
The sound of Austin’s Holy Wave has been getting progressively dreamier with each successive release, their music lush and immaculately arranged. Blending together psych-pop, amorphous art-rock, and gentle dream-pop, they’re taking a gentle approach to celestial exploration. Five of Cups, the band’s sixth album, and first for Suicide Squeeze Records (Night Beats, Death Valley Girls, Abraxas), finds the band sinking into a state of surrealist bliss, a place where everything feels warm and comforting, easy and lulling, but also vivid and textured. Due out August 4th, Five of Cups transports us to a gorgeous place of suspended wonder, the band seemingly floating from track to track on a cloud of acid-tinged elation. There’s motorik grooves and swirling synths throughout the voyage, the sonic landscape moving like quicksand.
Following the hypnotic churn of “Happier” and the jazzy psych of “Bog Song,” Holy Wave share their latest single, “Nothing In The Dark,” a subdued but jaunty dream-pop song, dripping with hazy synths and dazzling rhythms. The band stretch melodies into swarms of whirring space-age synths, ringing and resonant, but the whole track feels like a distant vision, sent from beyond this state of consciousness, the harmonies alien yet comforting. The propulsive drums provide a steady groove, a focal point as much as a framework, while the gentle fuzz colors within the breezy lines. There’s a sway to the beat that fits perfectly with the otherwise meditative drift.
Speaking about the single, Joey Cook offers:
"‘Nothing in the Dark’ is about how easy it is to let fear take over and control what you do and don’t do, how distractions can keep you from the things you want or disguise themselves as what you want. But when the light disappears from your life, like shadows, the distractions fade away, and you’re left with just yourself and the darkness. So I guess the song is about moving past the fear of the shadows; you can see in the light so that you don’t end up sitting alone in the dark."
On the video, Ryan Fuson offers:
"We all acted in the video, but we also did the set design and all the props. Since it was a super small budget, we had to wear a bunch of hats to afford to pay the people who were good at their jobs, haha. The director Vanessa Pla also made some mean carnitas for the crew. They were fire."
Check out the band’s upcoming tour dates below.
Tour Dates:
08/08 - Denton, TX @ Andy's
08/09 - Norman, OK @ Opolis
08/11 - Indiannapolis, IN @ Back Alley Ballyhoo
08/12 - Chattanooga, TN @ JJs Bohemia
08/13 - Birmingham, AL @ Upstairs at Avondale
08/15 - Mobile, AL @ Alabama Music Box
08/16 - Houston, TX @ Continental Club
08/17 - San Antonio, TX @ Paper Tiger
10/12 - Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room
10/14 - Albuquerque, NM @ Sister
10/15 - Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive
10/17 - Chicago, IL @ Sleeping Village
10/18 - Detroit, MI @ Lager House
10/20 - Troy, NY @ No Fun
10/21 - New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge
10/22 - Brooklyn, NY @ Baby's All Right
10/23 - Baltimore, MD @ Metro Baltimore
10/25 - New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa
10/26 - Austin, TX @ Levitation
10/29 - El Paso, TX @ Love Buzz
10/30 - Phoenix, AZ @ The Rebel Lounge
10/31 - San Diego, Casbah
11/01 - Highland Park, CA @ Lodge Room
11/07 - Lille, FR @ L’Aéronef
11/08 - Groningen, NL @ Vera
11/09 - Copenhagen, DK @ Stengade
11/10 - Berlin, DE @ Kesselhaus
11/11 - Halle, DE @ Huhnermanhattan
11/12 - Prague, CZ @ Cafe V Lese
11/13 - Munich, DE @ Milla
11/16 - Bucharest, RO @ Control Club
11/17 - Belgrade, SE @ Dom Onladine
11/19 - Zagreb, HR @ Vintage Industrial
11/21 - Lyon, FR @ Le Sonic
11/22 - Barcelona, ES @ Sala Upload
11/23 - San Sebastian, ES @ Dabadaba
11/24 - Madrid, ES @ Wurlitzer Ballroom
11/28 - Vigo, ES @ Kominski
11/30 - Bordeaux, FR @ Allez Les Filles
12/01 - Paris, FR @ Point Ephemere
12/02 - Brussels, BE @ Botanique
12/03 - The Hague, NL @ Hink Festival
12/04 - Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
12/06 - Brighton, UK @ The Hope & Ruin
12/07 - Bristol, UK @ Crofters Rights
12/08 - Manchester, UK @ YES
12/09 - Glasgow, UK @ Stereo
12/10 - Newcastle, UK @ Cluny 2
12/11 - Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club
12/12 - London, UK @ Moth Club