Holy Wave : Adult Fear
Adult Fear is Holy Wave's fifth release to date and fourth full length album. Whereas Freaks of Nuture (2016) found a relatively sunny spot to bathe in, Adult Fears befits a warm evening breeze as the sun slips into darkness. The guitars on Freaks Of Nuture were chiming and soaked in summer warmth, on Adult Fear they wash in and out, glacially cutting through the fog.
Album opener Nation In Regress stuns with a beautiful arrangement that lifts and swirls around the listeners ears perhaps opening doors of perception. The mix of arpeggiated strings and the band's trademark organ on How Was I Supposed to Know wash away any of the anxiety that one asking the titular question might have. Habibi, the album's longest track (8:06) starts with picked, post punk guitar before settling into an almost dream like call and response vocal that hovers above an anchored bass line, while flutes permeate the track like smoke. Adult Fear might not sink in as immediately as previous albums, but as with all great albums, repeated listens will reward the fans with a lush, cool, moody album that leans ever so slightly towards more of a vintage 80's shoegaze sound.