Review Summary: Lookin for a good time? Come on in!
Holodrum is the debut record from Holodrum, a group that I admittedly knew very little about before stumbling upon them. And here’s the thing: I still know very little about them. But here’s another thing: the internet! And on the internet I’ve been able to gather a few basic facts. So here’s a fact: the new disco-infused synth-pop group boasts an impressive seven (7!) members including Emily Garner (vocals), Matthew Benn (synth/bass/production), Jonathan Nash (drums), Jonathan Wilkinson (guitar), Sam Shjipstone (guitar/vocals), Christopher Duffin (sax/synth) and Steve Nuttall (percussion) - cool! And here’s another fact: You might know some of these members from previous projects such as Hookworms, Yard Act, Cowtown, Virginia Wing, Drahla and more - interesting! So why did they all come together then? Well, they’ve all worked together in varying capacities and eventually came together amidst a shared love of the early DFA records movement, Liquid Liquid, Konk, Talking Heads, and Tom Tom Club - nice! So we know a little bit about Holodrum now, but what about
Holodrum ?
Here’s the first thing worth knowing about
Holodrum - it’s fun to listen to. In fact, that’s the main thing worth knowing. The thing sounds like a giant party. And it's not one of those parties where you have to know the right people or be in on any of the right humor or social etiquette to have a good time, it's just good ole plain fun! The opener, ‘Lemon Chic’, sets this tone right away. A spacey synth backed by a snare metronome effectively pulls you into the atmosphere before live drums break through the mix to remind you that we are in fact listening to a band. You’re also reminded that it’s a big band (a septet!) as each instrument continues to reveal itself. How about some parading Sax, groovin Bass, and more layered Percussion? A flickering guitar riff and catchy vocal refrain? Keep it building! And it does keep on building, reaching a peak as the saxophone beams through the hive of instrumentation, really lettin the whole thing loose. Simmering down this musical frenzy is a flawless transition into a clav-centered breakdown from which everything builds right back up again.
Our next two tracks carry on in much the same manner, leaving little room for the party to fade. On ‘No Dither’, we’re smoothly reminded over top of another solid groove that the “truth isn’t in numbers” (I think?), before a call and response vocal breakdown from Shjipstone sets the track in a more energetic direction. The eventual climax is a guitar-lead explosion that plays like some disco-tinged version of a track you might’ve heard on Parquet Courts
Wide Awake . ‘Free Advice’ is perhaps the most pop-ready tune on the record, and also perhaps the best encapsulation of the good spirited nature of the record. Over and over we are told of some abstract idea of free advice which we don’t have to take. But unlike the typical offer of free advice, there is no hint of condescension to be found. So although we’re never actually offered any concrete advice in the song, an atmosphere is created in which, if free advice actually were to be offered, I would genuinely be interested in taking it. And I’m a pretty defensive guy!
‘Stage Echo’ offers a cool-down of sorts midway through
Holodrum . A reverb heavy phrase, “Anything you want and anything you need”, serves as guide, leading us through the dreamier soundscape towards one of the more euphoric drops of the record. From a structural standpoint, I’m cautiously drawn towards a comparison in LCD Soundsystem’s ‘Dance Yrself Clean’, though ‘Stage Echo’ is far less grandiose in scope. And in an effort to avoid sounding repetitive, I’ll simply say that ‘Low Light’ brings us right back into the high-octane party atmosphere of the first half of the record. In other words, it’s a blast!
If there is anything negative to say about
Holodrum , it's that the closing track, ‘Clean’, offers perhaps its weakest moment. That isn’t to say it's necessarily a bad track, and it definitely embodies the record’s ethos of repetitious exercise, but this particular instance of repetition doesn’t feel quite as inspired or necessary as the others. And with little new being offered across its nearly eight minute runtime, it becomes slightly taxing.
But maybe that’s how all good parties end - staying until you realize you’re ready for it to be over. What was fun and exciting when you arrived grows slightly tiresome by the end. That certainly doesn’t mean you aren’t excited for the next one.
