by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
Back in April Holiday Music released 333, their latest EP of deconstructed indie rock and bedroom fuzz. The sometimes Boston based, sometimes Austin based project of Michael Hlady has always had a kinetic sort of detachment in his songs, a skeletal buzz of lo-fi psych complimented woozy art-pop, and a keen sense of indifference to it all. That lackadaisical aura is more an aesthetic mood than it is a testament to the songs, as Holiday Music’s loose structures and breezy atmospheres still carry a brilliant glow, the music is subtle yet experimental and nuanced. “Drinking Smoking Eating Red Meat,” the record’s strange mantra like introduction, on the other hand, is kind of its own animal, a beast of a different nature.
The 333 opener is sparse but twisted, a song slowed as though it was recorded on warped tape. As the title eludes, the song is a repetition of the titular activities, which depending on how you look at it could either be a series of vices or a fine evening. Then, Hlady expands the suggestions to include “smoke crack” and well… it hardly seems like a great idea at that point. While it would seam the least likely song on the EP to get a video, sure enough, it now has an incredible new animated video courtesy of the one and only James Roo (Neckbolt). An accomplished artist with a distinctive style, Roo captures the sordid nature of the song with wonderful hand-drawn animation. The acidic adventures of a duck with a big ol’ axe, it’s vibrant and deeply psychedelic, a wonderful fit for a song of questionable activity.