written by Maria Arroyo
Toronto-born band, Holy Fuck, has dropped their album Deleter! They are signed under the Canadian record label, Last Gang Entertainment, and includes members Brian Borcherdt, Graham Walsh, Matt McQuaid, and Matt Schultz. The techno and rock-inspired band describe their sound as “the gangster Rothko of sound.”
The first song on the album is “Luxe (featuring Alexis Taylor)”. It is an immediate homage to their EDM and techno influences that are enhanced with their use of delayed vocals and almost futuristic approach. The buildup towards the end of the song added a lot of dimension to the sound that was executed very well. “Deleter (featuring Angus Andrew)” has incredible radio play potential because their sound makes it impossible not to bop your head to. They took advantage of the importance of creating variations in the instrumental sounds to make certain parts stand out while others relax, and vice versa.
The track, “Endless”, was the other song that had a well-done buildup throughout with a nice breakdown in terms of tempo. This song felt like a journey with the artists, which was such a creative choice that was completed very well. The vocals in this song are a little washier and not as much of a focus, which left the room to appreciate the intricacies of the percussive spots. The ending, however, had this immensely powerful orchestral finish with this ominous yet intriguing feeling that I just couldn’t shake.
“Free Gloss (featuring Nicholas Allbrook)” introduced some 80’s style dance inspirations with a mix of 70’s vocals. While I enjoyed the change in their sound, there was still a huge part of me that could not get past being able to understand the lyrics. This song also had vocals that were difficult to decipher, but the ambient feel of the song could have been why they were not as present. This band does such a great job of increasing their energy into this explosion that eventually fades down into a calm serenity, and the acoustic guitar ending was a nice touch.
“Moment” had this Latin-feel that made me ready to dance. I loved this one! I felt energized and empowered to get the fuck up! There were nice rhythmic choices in instrumentation, and the breakdown of the delayed sound effects towards the middle of the song was a nice touch. It’s literally everything good about music rolled up into one song!
“Near Mint” brought back some great rock inspiration, and having this one directly after “Moment” was a great choice because it almost felt like an extension of the first one. As if the first song was one story, and this song was their part two. Harmonies and vocals throughout were very interesting and mixed very well with a nice balance of vocals and instrumental breaks.
“San Sebastian” and “No Error” kept the rock momentum with some room to let the instruments have their chance to be heard. “Ruby” threw me for a loop with its chant-like singing. There were definitely some intense musical parts towards the middle with their musical explosion one last time! The ending felt like one of those inspirational videos that make you feel refreshed and alive!
Suffice to say, I WAS BLOWN AWAY! I was so drawn to every song for a different reason, which made the album such an impeccable listen. With each song that played, they introduced a new side to them while still keeping their core sound. Their song structures are exceptionally strong and I love that even though they follow their “recipe” in a sense, they still keep things interesting!
I definitely would recommend this for a listen to anyone looking for some new music because I promise you will not be disappointed!
