Holy Balm – It’s You (R.I.P. Society/Fuse Music/Title)

4

I’ve been listening to It’s You for a few weeks now, and I’m really torn. Holy Balm have been one of my favourite live acts over the last couple of years. In that context, they’re a sprawling mass of electronics, live percussion and delayed vocals, delivered with an infectious joy by a trio who clearly love what they’re doing. What really gives their music vitality, though, is the improvisational nature they bring to proceedings. Within the confines of basic structures and songs, you can hear the machines being let loose and things sometimes get out of hand, in the best possible ways. The most appealing aspect is that the music seems to sprawl. It’s You doesn’t quite capture that. The album’s closing track, ‘One & Only’, clocks in at just over 8 minutes but, otherwise, the tracks are edited down to pop lengths.

I miss the sprawl, but I am torn because, in general, these short forms work very well. ‘Holy Balm Theme’ and ‘Phone Song’ are even radio-friendly, for those more adventurous radio stations that do exist around the fringes of our airwaves. The Holy Balm sound, for those not familiar with it, consists of Jonathan Hochman triggering drum sequences and basses, Anna John noodling lead passages using fairly straight ahead classic analogue synth preset sounds run through simple delays to create atmospheres, while Emma Ramsey tinkles away on a stripped down acoustic drum/percussion kit and invokes the mystic with heavily delayed vocal meanderings. The elements are all there to hear on It’s You. The album is produced with clarity, all the sounds having space to breathe. The darker regions of new wave would be the most obvious touchstones, but rhythms that veer more towards classic house mix things up a bit, giving them an edge over the plethora of stale chillwavewitchhousehypnagogiclofi acts currently inhabiting the universe. The aforementioned joy also pulls the music in odder directions, the tension between dark and light giving them personality rather than bland blankness. Holy Balm have eschewed the inclination of many in their scene to hide behind low fidelity. It’s You stands up to scrutiny under that kind of clear light.

As you can probably tell, I really like what I hear on It’s You. There are small factors which make me a little uncomfortable, though. The track lengths, as mentioned, don’t give the music quite the repetitive force to build up the power they can in extended live jamming. Only the aforementioned ‘One & Only’ really gets to mutate over its length and throw up small shards of interesting textures – not that other tracks are ever uninteresting, but here I feel like everything has been satisfactorily explored. Another issue is the fact that the album has been simultaneously released internationally on Not Not Fun. I am on the record as being a big fan of the label, but small things on It’s You leave a feeling that it’s perhaps been targeted to a specific, currently in vogue æsthetic with the specific intention of targeting Not Not Fun and its audience – the way the dubbed up lead and backing vocals on ‘Losing Control’ remind me of Pocahaunted, the use of the word ‘sweater’ in ‘Favourite Sweater’ – do any Australians actually use that word?

So, yes, I am torn. While the album is æsthetically similar to Holy Balm’s wonderful live shows, I miss the long form exploration. However, most of the tracks here make their point then move along succinctly, giving them a success on a different level. I guess it comes down to the live and recorded versions of the band being related but different. And, in actuality, Holy Balm have succeeded in fulfilling the old showbiz adage – always leave the audience wanting more. I am enjoying It’s You greatly, but I am also wanting more.

Adrian Elmer

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About Author

Adrian Elmer is a visual artist, graphic designer, label owner, musician, footballer, subbuteo nerd and art teacher, who also loves listening to music. He prefers his own biases to be evident in his review writing because, let's face it, he can't really be objective.

4 Comments

  1. Well said Adrian – summed up my conflicted feelings about this record, although I don’t know if I can say I even liked it as much as you did (despite possibly higher expectations).

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