for fans of: Marina & the Diamonds, Smallpools, Charli XCX, Is Tropical, Tweens
Extra, extra read all about it! Music is fun again!
(photo creds Liz Nistico's SXSW diary for BlackBook)
Hey, The Smiths can be great, don't get me wrong, and we all love to rock out sadly to a bit of Drenge contemplating our feelings of destructiveness but sometimes it seems like everyone is just so sad all the time. What happened to happiness? Even New Order's 'Ceremony' is deemed to be wonderfully uplifting by some people (which I don't quite understand... seeing as it was written by Ian Curtis... and released after his death... maybe it's a you-have-to-be-a-die-hard-fan-to-get-it kind of thing...), yet it's so sad. Never when I walk with a spring in my step have I thought to myself, yo, how about some Nick Drake to mark this occasion! That's like saying "oh man, I'm feeling really down today... Might read some Sylvia Plath to cheer me up..." Enough! What bright ray of sunshine can come and cure our sorrow before we're doomed into eternal darkness?
Cue Holychild: serious Barbie-fied bubblegum pop on steroids. Their sound is simultaneously ferocious and sugary sweet, much like a kitten tiger: lovable on the outside but don't underestimate their bite. Don't let their tropical synth-pop beats fool you, as underneath the very 'Contra'-esque hooks lies... what's this? A message? In pop music? Never...
In relation to my previous blog post and its an overwhelming response - thank you so much for all your lovely comments, they made my heart smile
-
Holychild not only capture the pure sunniness of happiness better than any current chart topping platinum selling single did, but also embody an issue very near and dear to me: (you guessed it) FEMINISM! *rainbows suddenly fill the sky* *angels sing* *baby animals do the cha cha* *etc*
And, no! Before you ask, they're not a girlband so any "well, they're female, what can you expect" excuses just don't count. Liz Nistico (vocals) and Louie Diller (instrumentalist and producer) are the brains behind the LA "brat pop" project and signed to Glassnote Records in January, home to their polar opposites Mumford & Sons and Childish Gambino.
In an interview with Stereogum, Nistico reveals how she and Diller intertwined the politics and sheer importance of feminism into their happy-go-lucky sound:
"The three videos that make up MINDSPEAK portray the contradictions I see existing around the objectification of women. Essentially I felt like a hypocrite, saying, ’down with objectification!’ But at the same, I feel ashamed if I am not objectified nor desired.
The more I thought about it, the more I saw certain layers around this concept that I wanted to reveal. The first video, “Happy With Me,” shows the power females can have by being objectified. In the second video, “Every Time I Fall,” the girls allow the men to judge them and they lose the power. In the final video, “Pretend Believe,” the men have the power, and the girls are broken and angry at themselves for perpetuating the situation.
No matter how one views it, I wanted to leave the film open to interpretation. Specifically I wanted to strike a feeling of nostalgia on one hand, but challenge the audience and make them uncomfortable on the other. Ultimately it’s all an autobiographical account of extreme contemplation on our culture."
ACCIOMIXTAPE DECONSTRUCTS 'MINDSPEAK': EP TRACK-BY-TRACK
Though maybe put off at first by the rather in-your-face hooks and 90's girrrrrrrl power vocals, after a few listens Holychild become unrestricted to all listeners regardless of their preferable genre as their toes begin to tap and they surrender to their sudden urge to have a pillow fight.
- Lead track 'Happy With Me' reminds me very much of what a 'Fancy'/'Diplomat's Son' smoothie would sound like yet Nistico's pleading vocals are reminiscent of a desperate yearning despite the song's sparkly, cheerful vibe. And it demonstrates perfectly why Holychild are so clever.
- Though not part of the all-important feminist message video trilogy, 'Playboy Girl' still has a weighty message of its own: don't let the strive for perfection define you! Channeling early Lady Gaga with elements of teeny-bop 1D pop it, quite frankly, makes me feel like a princess.
- Bigger and grander synths are tied in with infectious vocals for 'Every Time I Fall' still manages to continue their patented relentless joy.
- 'Pretend Believe' is more of an example of the pair's experimental pop label, and perhaps it is that which gives this song a more glamorous and glittering edge.
(photo creds Shervin Lainez)
♡ The Mindspeak EP is hot off the press and has gained a release just in time for Summer. It can be found on iTunes US ♡
