The opening haunted piano phrase gives a wonderful frisson that immediately fills you full of promise. Then comes the crispy smack of an 808 snare and we’re off on a cloud of electronic washes and undulating synth-bass which creates the desire to stand up, throw your arms out and twirl until you’re queasy.
HOLT started out playing piano, flute, guitar and violin but the gift of a TASCAM 4-track recorder on her seventh birthday kickstarted her writing career (the seven-year old in me is very jealous). ‘The Storm’ “explores themes of unwelcome feelings and thoughts overwhelming before the day begins, creating an internal storm that manages to obscure everything. This chaotic journey becomes inescapable. The cloud seeks you out, manoeuvring around corners where friends and foes blur indistinguishably.”
The hard thing with electronic music is not to give into the temptation to load songs with a battery of sounds from arpeggios to the synthesised kitchen sink. HOLT has produced a Goldilocks mix that combines the digital precision of beats and bass with the fluidity of her voice, which is light enough to float but strong enough to punch through the arrangement. There are wonderful hints of tremolo at the ends of lines which are only matched in class by the opulent layered harmonies. It’s a great portent of the album which is coming later in 2024.
HOLT has given Joyzine readers the chance to hear ‘The Storm’ a day early and then you can pre-save it to your preferred streaming channel here.
HOLT on Instagram
Review by Paul F Cook
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