Holy Holy released their powerfully pulsating fourth album, Hello My Beautiful World, in August last year.
After countless lockdowns and rescheduled shows, the band are finally touring the album and making their way to Mackay at the end of the month.
We had a chat with frontman Tim Carroll ahead of their North Queensland shows.
You released Hello My Beautiful World last year. What are your reflections on it now that you finally get to tour it?
I’m proud of the record and I have fond memories of making it. It was such a strange time, but we were able to thread the needle and find really creative opportunities in the midst of just a really strange period of life. And I am really interested to see what it’s going to be like to perform live.
I noticed that some songs on the record feel a bit more like “floor fillers”. Did you write those songs with the hope of the dance floor filling or is just something that comes about naturally in the writing process?
When you start off as a band you’re playing these small clubs, like tiny little rooms, and they’re half full, there’s a certain kind of music that works for that. As Holy Holy has grown as a band and released more records, we find ourselves playing bigger and bigger rooms and playing festivals and later slots and even headlining festivals. In that instance, often you want bangers. It’s the same Holy Holy approach but with a faster BPM and a bit of a thumping beat drum underneath, which is fun.
I’m also intrigued by the relationship between the more electronic elements on the record and the use of nature emojis on the album cover. What was the thought process there?
I have a couple of kids and a few years ago we were out in the country and it was the morning and I pulled back the curtain on this window and my son just said: “hello, my beautiful world”. And I thought it was just such a sweet thing to say. I thought it could work as a possible album title and I am often drawn to natural imagery in songwriting. We thought it looked iconic as a record, I had never seen a record cover like that. It’s also the combination of natural imagery but also referencing modern culture; it represents the work.
This isn’t your first time to Mackay, what is it about the area that brings you back?
You can’t just play the capital cities, you’ve got to get out into the regions and see the country and meet fans. I think we only played three shows last time and it just blew me away that they all sold out, they were really vibey crowds.
So what have you got in store for the shows up here?
Queen P is supporting and she’s a really fun and charismatic performer with a cool band. I guess it’s the kind of music that you might not get that often up in north Queensland. And then Holy Holy’s going to be coming out and we have so much fun on stage. We’ll be premiering a bunch of new songs off the record. Our intention with the show is wild and immersive and memorable and ultimately, in some way, a holy experience in a musical sense.
Holy Holy play the Seabreeze Hotel on Thursday, March 31. Get your tickets now!
Tim Carroll and Oscar Dawson of Holy Holy will be in Mackay later this month
