A psych-electropop album paying homage to Shia LeBeouf? You don’t say!
A press release I read recommends this band for fans of the Eric Andre show. Having recently watched Andre transform into Tay Zonday while smashing plates on his head, resulting from hot sauce consumption in a viral interview – I have to say I agree with this assessment. And I’m only through “Bump That Bass.” In past reviews I’ve commended bands for not being self-indulgent. Well, Holiday Mountain is totally self-indulgent. Replace that phrase with over the top if you prefer. Midway through “Como Te Llamas” my feeling is only further confirmed and my mind wanders in the direction of Major Lazer. You know how their hit “Pon De Floor” has a decidedly NSFW music video that’s cartoonish and ridiculous, yet live the crowd eats it up? That’s how I see people reacting to Holiday Mountain as they grow in popularity.
So what’s with the album title, anyway? Well, I’ll give you a hint. What has SHIA been most famous for in the past couple of years. No, not the just-about-porno movie Nymphomaniac. His “Just do it!” speech. As they mention in this article, SHIA is all about getting over what other people think of you and embracing what you were made to be. Embracing yourself is going for it – “Just do it!” in the words of Mr. LeBeouf.
Holiday Mountain is extravagant and a little over the top, but it feels right because of how comfortable in their own skin they are. They aren’t afraid to deviate from the “let’s party!” attitude at times to keep things interesting. “Sacrifice” falls in more traditional dream pop territory, for example. They aren’t content to stay in more abstract areas for long, as the beat kicks in with a vengeance in “Close 2 U.” Also… “Buffin!” Holy dubstep beat drops, Batman! For real, the beats on the record are some of my favorites I’ve heard in a long time.
Being over the top in the case of Holiday Mountain is mostly a good idea and admirable for any band under the right circumstances. The lyrics of “NE1” (besides the title reminding me of the mindset that went into naming of “Sk8er Boi”) are a little cheesy but over the top attitude is definitely the aim. I’m not even sure why I wrote that, since they don’t listen to no name review blogs in their album self-evaluations I feel like. In all seriousness, I feel like “NE1” is a less of an outright misstep and more of a cautionary tale in how the approach Holiday Mountain takes to their songwriting is a delicate balance. Moreso, in fact, than it might appear.
At the end of the day, Holiday Mountain have demonstrated a mastery of a unique blend of R&B, electropop, and EDM with a bit of psychedelic flair that I suspect has a big potential to catch on.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/227066158″/]
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