Holy State are a four piece originally from Norwich but now residing in Leeds, and this is their first proper E.P. The influences on this band are listed in their promotional flyer, and include Girls Against Boys, Fugazi, The Jesus Lizard and The Fall.
Whilst this four track E.P. does indeed contain similar elements to those listed above, there is far more to this band than just a set of influences. The opening track ‘Brain Caves’ is a refreshing blast that instantly reminded me a bit of The Stooges. With a ferocious howl of vocal “My thought’s in a cave, Tune into new frequencies” and “I’ve gone and lost myself again. I’m diggin’ up.” This is an excellent start and clearly sets the scene for what is to come.
‘The Beaus and the Oglers’ is more of the same with frantic driving guitar and a dark, bitter vocal “Their hearts are empty, but their pockets full.” This is a band I would love to see live, as the energy levels suggest that the band must be plugged into the National Grid!
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‘Skull on Skull’ slows things down a bit and I thought that this was the weakest track on the E.P., however it is still hard hitting, but I just couldn’t decipher the oblique lyrics on this one.
The final track on the E.P. ‘Palms’ is edgy and evokes a sense of paranoia: - “Sometimes she feels like pushing her hands into the jug.” Midway through, the band launch into a riff that is almost directly copped from Pere Ubu’s ‘Heart of Darkness’, although it did take me about three plays before I realised where I’d heard it before.
In short this is a strong start from a band that I hope to see going from strength to strength. This is definitely one of the best E.P. s that I’ve heard this year as a first time offering from a band, and Holy State are certainly a band that I want to hear more of. Nuff said!
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