Album Review: Holy Holy – My Own Pool Of Light

Holy Holy have never been ones for idly serving up whatever music works for them at the time. Since 2015, each album has drawn a tighter crowd, and then taken a creative turn. If soaring vocals and guitar-led, dusty road drama were the ticket for their 2015 rock debut When The Storms Would Come, a slightly more polished sound crept into their 2017 follow-up Paint, which also pushed a few more fans their way. Taking the production reins on their latest My Own Pool Of Light has again seen an evolution for the duo, but it’s a slow-burner.

The appeal doesn’t strike as immediately as it did on their debut, but it does seep beneath the surface after a while. Pitched vocals and an upbeat swell of beats and reverberating harmonies on opener Maybe You Know is a great way to ease into the duo’s latest, and punchy single Faces has rightly pricked up many ears. But there are pretty sonic details in the form of drum loops and synth bursts dotted throughout that could be glossed over without an active listen. Flight, Starting Line and People are the standouts in that regard, the ‘80s-tinged Teach Me About Dying is an album highlight.