Friday, May 02, 2014

Band Review: Holychild


I came to Holychild via Colleen Allison, whom I think of as a photographer, but actually I've seen her in quite a few music videos, and that includes three for Holychild.

Holychild is a brat pop duo from LA with a debut EP Mindspeak out now. The previously mentioned videos are for three of the four tracks, and consist of parts I, II, and III of what is essentially a short film.

I have not been able to find a good description of "brat pop", but after listening to the music and watching the videos, I think I've seen clips from other bands that would probably relate.

As far as "pop" goes, Holychild's tunes are definitely catchy. I'm not sure that they are up-tempo enough to be club-ready, but that's what remixes are for. They definitely work well for listening, driving, or hanging out. The "brat" side may go a little deeper.

In the video trilogy, it seems to be about several men and women attempting to pair off, but the way it is happening is that the women are performing, and competing, for the men. While it only sometimes breaks into open hostility between the women, it still looks soul-killing, degrading, and not at all fun.

The other track, "Playboy Girl" has a video that is separate, but may still relate as it again focuses on appearance and indulgence over a track that struggles with the expectations between a couple. It doesn't feel so much like gender wars as a frustration with the patterns that we fall into along gender lines.

(While it's not on the EP, the group has also recorded and made a video for a song called "Best Friends", which must have been a nice break with lighter subject matter.)

Holychild has upcoming shows on both coasts listed, including six with Fitz & The Tantrums. They will be in Portland at the Roseland on June 23rd.




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