Los Angeles – Like so many groups popping up these days all across the country, Texas band Holy Wave specialize in recreating the sounds of retro psychedelic rock. Finding a new or unique approach to this ever popular style of garage rock is increasingly difficult. If a songwriter skews too far in one direction, it can come across as gimmicky, but go too far in the other direction and the music becomes a rather dull affair. Holy Wave’s third studio album Freaks of Nurture does nothing in the way of breaking ground, but it does tread a fine line between shtickiness and dullness. This set of 10 songs created by Kyle Hager, Dustin Zozaya, Julian Ruiz, Joey Cook, and Ryan Fuson are nothing if not simple pop nuggets that are given the Nuggets treatment.
The temptation for psych rock bands is to blend riffs and effects until a trippy ambiance has been created, and then ride that wave for seven, eight, even 10 minutes at a time. Bands like Wooden Shjips have the songwriting chops to be able to get away with that kind of indulgence, but few others can pull it off. Thankfully, Holy Wave never fall into that trap, with the longest songs “California Took My Bobby Away” and “Air Wolf” topping just a little over five and a half minutes. “California Took My Bobby Away” is a mournful track beset with gently-strummed guitar chords. “Air Wolf” opens up side two with one of the quicker paces on Freaks of Nurture, guided by an uplifting guitar riff.
Holy Wave are at their best when they are crafting punchy pop tunes. There are several other songs that drift beyond the five-minute mark, and provide some of the least interesting moments on Freaks of Nurture. On the other hand, “You Should Lie” presents the album’s most instantly-grabbing moment, with a speedy arpeggiated guitar riff that leads into a quasi punk rock verse that is guided by a wobbly organ riff. This is psych-pop at its most appealing and exhilarating, and unfortunately is the only song of its kind on the album.
There are several other highlights scattered throughout Holy Wave’s latest album. The opening of “Western Playground” plays with surf and psych elements in a manner that is reminiscent of Allah-Las. But unlike the Los Angeles band, Holy Wave put more emphasis on the vocal melodies and lyricism, giving the song a more pop-oriented sound. “Our Pigs” has a stomping, head-bobbing beat with elements of The Velvet Underground. The album opens with a riff that sounds eerily similar to The Beatles’ classic from Revolver, “If I Needed Someone.” To put it in simple terms, Freaks of Nurture is one big smorgasbord of psych from the 60s and 70s, never sticking to one style for more than a song or two. All in all, the band is able to blend these styles into a solid batch of tunes that, for psychedelic rock at least, are relatively low on filler.
Holy Wave is on tour in Europe throughout March and April. Find more information on specific dates and tickets on the band’s Bandcamp page.
Photo Credit: Alison Scarpulla
Matt Matasci
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