{"title":"Holy Fuck","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHoly Fuck are a Toronto-based outfit, who create modern electronic music using traditional instruments and unconventional equipment. They record and play live with drums, bass, keyboards, toy keyboards, guitar pedals, mixers, and even a 35mm film synchronizer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOriginally formed by Brian Borcherdt and Graham Walsh, Holy Fuck has had a revolving line-up of additional musicians over the years. For their album \"Latin\", they settled as a four-piece unit with Matt McQuaid and Matt Schulz joining the fold.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith their unique approach to creating music and their captivating live performances, Holy Fuck have carved out a distinct space in the music industry. Their ability to mimic modern electronic sounds without relying on laptops or programmed backing tracks sets them apart from other artists in the genre.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"lp-7","title":"LP","description":"\u003cp\u003eBack in stock. Afraid that electronic presets and affectations will inevitably date the sound of today's dance and rock music, Holy Fuck decided to strip away hi-tech gear in favour of the nearly unmanageable lo-tech battery operated keyboards. The often cheesy beats like rhumba, disco and techno emitted by these half-broken kid's toys are then manipulated with guitar pedals and distorting cheapo mixers. Holy Fuck's drummer and bassist then kick in, accompanied by other outlandish sounds such as 35mm film being scratched over tape heads. While the material was recorded for the most part in a studio environment, Holy Fuck recorded it live, as if on stage. Therefore the songs still breathe a live frenetic energy. The final sheen of the studio feel may come largely from the mixing hands of both Eli Janney (Girls Against Boys) and Dave Newfeld (Broken Social Scene).'LP' then is a riot of distorted sounds and heavy beats from start to finish. Kick-starting with a live version of 'Super Inuit', it's a mass of tribal drums sounds and hypnotic, pulsing synth lines and shows the full force that Holy Fuck possess as a live band. A subtle introduction to the band this ain't - it's not the Holy Fuck way.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Young","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50410511073611,"sku":"366580","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/4aa16cbe-908c-4042-96e3-b3c0515e481e_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726643135"},{"product_id":"airport-dreams-lost-cool","title":"Airport Dreams \/ Lost Cool","description":"\u003cp\u003eNew Polytechnic Youth 7\" from US \/ Canadian synth favourites Holy Fuck. Moving slightly away from the label’s penchant for the classic minimal synth \/ synth pop sound, Holy Fuck offer up two super dancey tracks; each with a guest female vocalist across a double A sided 45. \u003ci\u003eAirport Dreams\u003c\/i\u003e featuring Sarah Bonito vox (guesting from Kero Kero Bonito here in the UK), and \u003ci\u003eLost Cool \u003c\/i\u003ewith vox and added synth parts from Madrid based synth pop artist Lucia Tacchetti.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Polytechnic Youth","offers":[{"title":"Black | 7\"","offer_id":50453576974667,"sku":"1141869","price":8.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/59c24568-d915-47fc-9e22-7647b6a2c730_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727173912"},{"product_id":"deleter","title":"Deleter","description":"\u003cp\u003eArriving at a moment where attention spans are shot and anxieties are going into overdrive, \u003ci\u003eDeleter,\u003c\/i\u003e Holy Fuck’s fifth studio LP, is a defiantly full-bodied affair. Polyrhythmic and pleasure-focused, \u003ci\u003eDeleter\u003c\/i\u003e sees Brian Borcherdt, Graham Walsh, Matt Schulz, and Matt “Punchy” McQuaid utilises their signature sound - seamlessly fusing the gauzy drive of krautrock and deep house’s dreamy ineffability, expertly blending purring motorik percussion with the sort of fuggy synthetic fizz and tang they are renowned for.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom the thrusting minimalism of opener \u003ci\u003eLuxe \u003c\/i\u003ethrough to the triumphant chug of closing track \u003ci\u003eRuby\u003c\/i\u003e, via club-ready rollocker \u003ci\u003eFree Gloss \u003c\/i\u003eand the cosmic clatter of\u003ci\u003e San Sebastian, Deleter\u003c\/i\u003e is a record that joins the Holy Fuck dots within their widescreen, technicolour, crescendo-heavy sound.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Holy F","offers":[{"title":"LP - Clear","offer_id":57724213166411,"sku":"R9529-3159","price":21.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"LP - Black","offer_id":50455306961227,"sku":"1077716","price":17.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50455308370251,"sku":"1077715","price":8.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/cafa6b32-98a0-476d-bb13-a3d2f84a8fc7_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727190351"},{"product_id":"congrats","title":"Congrats","description":"\u003cp\u003eHoly Fuck took the world by surprise around 2005 because there was just nothing like them - a hardcore thrift-store found-object punk band with a relentless commitment to rhythm and a sense for atmosphere better matched to a close encounter of the third kind than a simple rock concert. Think Einsturzende Neubauten re-inspired by Fela Kuti with Brian Eno working as keyboard tech and every channel on the mixer set to max power. Checking into a 'proper' studio, rather than the barn in rural Ontario where most of Holy Fuck's records were made, 'Congrats' was recorded by the same lineup that recorded 'Latin' (2010). As they worked, they discovered that 'Congrats' was a process of refining things both physically and philosophically. Their ad hoc arsenal of low-budget hi-tech toys has been streamlined and the result is the moment when Holy Fuck take the chaos and craziness (and charm) that have always been at the heart of their band and not so much control it as concentrate it. Now they're heavier, wilder, leaner, sharper, more daring and more unpredictable than ever before, on fire with the power of inspired outsiders like Suicide, Silver Apples, Can, Mission of Burma or the Monks or even Sun Ra whose pursuit of his own kind of musical purity is exactly what Holy Fuck are after.LP - Gatefold LP with die-cut sleeves and Download.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Innovative Leisure","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":50461202219339,"sku":"400982","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50461202481483,"sku":"400981","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/502d4e36-a207-4b55-b62a-a79d4968d4d8_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727245115"},{"product_id":"bird-brains","title":"Bird Brains","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eBird Brains\u003c\/i\u003e is a four song collection from Holy Fuck, recorded live at various studios over the past few years. They represent the ongoing creative process of a band whose members live in different cities (in both Canada and the US) yet insist their music should be a collaborative process. These four songs aim to capture the raw energy of four people, not apart as bedroom producers, but together as a spirited exchange of ideas, a dynamic interaction that comes from years of friendship. While \u003ci\u003eBird Brains\u003c\/i\u003e was largely self-produced, a few very talented Engineers \/ Producers aided greatly in that process, including Shawn Everett (John Legend, Warpaint, Alabama Shakes), who recorded the song \u003ci\u003eChains\u003c\/i\u003e at The Banff Centre for the Arts, and David Wrench (Caribou, FKA Twigs, The XX) who mixed the song \u003ci\u003eNew Dang\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Innovative Leisure","offers":[{"title":"Black | 10\"","offer_id":50471439466827,"sku":"1020068","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/37faec45-361e-41c8-8a3b-422616678f68_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727403187"},{"product_id":"event-beat","title":"Event Beat","description":"\u003cp\u003eAt a time when even entire classic rock bands are being AI generated, Holy Fuck are now more relevant than ever. The Canadian quartet have forged their reputation for making electronic music with a human touch. While many artists create that core electronic via laptops, loops and drum machines, Holy Fuck keep every element as live as possible. The intoxication they inspire comes not from cold, staid perfection, but from the ragged energy that comes from four musicians relishing sharing a moment. Factor in the chaos born from improvisation and skipping a click track in favour of loose, raw, real percussion, and it’s easy to see why Holy Fuck are renowned for their pulsating, unorthodox thrills.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs the passage of time marches to its own relentless beat, it’s almost frightening to note that it has been six years since their previous set, 2020’s ‘Deleter’. Given the well-documented events that followed that year, the normally road-weary band - Brian Borcherdt, Graham Walsh, Matt ‘Punchy’ McQuaid and Matt Schulz - spent two years entirely apart from each other.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn March 2022, they finally reconvened in an old village hall in rural Nova Scotia. The main purpose was to simply reunite and rehearse, but new song ideas soon flowed out of them. And that was the starting point for their upcoming album \u003cem\u003eEvent Beat\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“The catalyst for this record and the beginning of the recordings that we did was us just getting back together again,” states Graham. “It was something unique to us. It was all of us living together one in space and with no distractions and just working on music in the middle of nowhere. It’s a way I really like to work. For at least half of the songs on the record, it was just us holed up together. Which was great!”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIntuition, muscle memory, an almost telepathic link? Call it what you will but the shared synapses between the quartet were soon fired up. “Having our own language that we can speak so easily together is really important to us,” asserts Brian. “We all have our own piece to bring to the conversation, and it's idiosyncratic to us because we’ve been dedicated to it for so long. Hopefully that’s encouraging to other bands who feel like they’re on a similar path.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNonetheless, there were challenges. At one point a storm knocked out the power, forcing them to start up a generator. More importantly was the presence of a local who objected to the volume of their sessions. You can talk long into the night about musical influences, but nothing shapes the direction of a record quite like the practical obstacle of having to placate a neighbour.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“That became a production challenge,” notes Graham. “We still wanted to jam, but while being as quiet as possible. Matt couldn’t hit the drums really loud. So we made these more low-key ambient things. It was like, how quiet can we be and still do what we do?”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBrian concurs. “We were making these quite pastoral, vibey soundscapes, and I thought we were going to have an ambient record on our hands. I thought this was going to be almost like new age music or something.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHitting play on \u003cem\u003eEvent Beat\u003c\/em\u003e reveals that Holy Fuck totally circumvented that idea, as opening track ‘Evie’ swirls between pulsating bass, punk-funk grooves and luminous synth flourishes to offer an hypnotic calling card for the rest of the album. It was an idea that dated back until 2016’s ‘Congrats’ and that was salvaged after Brian spent six years listening to its initial idea on headphones until they could unlock what made it work. It also provides what he calls an “infinity loop” or a “streaming hack” for fans who play the album on repeat, as the end of the final song, the title track, loops straight into the ‘Evie’ intro.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt the other extreme, ‘Gold Flakes’ is a typical “Holy Fuck studio jam” driven by Matt McQuaid’s rolling bass. But its dreamy Krautrock march is given an additional flair with a flurry of musique concrète-style sound collage elements which unveils more details with each repeated listen. Instigating movement more than provoking than the mind is the swaggering ‘Czar’, full of popping J. Dilla-ish bass, happy accidents and random chaos that is proving to be a challenge as they plan future live shows. As Brian sighs, “I’ll have to get really tight with my imperfections.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e‘Elevate’ is the one track that leans most heavily into those new age preconceptions, but with Holy Fuck being Holy Fuck it takes a detour into the unexpected and keeps layering up fresh sonic elements at every turn. “I really like those epic techno songs like Orbital and Underworld,” smiles Graham. “This was my attempt at something like that. Just dance floor euphoria.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThroughout the record, the vocals drift through the ether like a conversation with an imaginary friend. There’s no overarching concept, but Brian highlights a recurring motif of momentum “towards something that is beyond personal control, either at the mercy of some bigger system or some unspoken will.” And while ‘Deleter’ called upon guest vocals more than ever, this time they’re conspicuous only by their absence. There was no grand strategy though, just the realisation that the record excelled without them. Brian did, however, call on two members of his spacious semi-classical ambient project Quilting: Mairi Chaimbeul who contributed harp to title-track \u003cem\u003eEvent Beat\u003c\/em\u003e, and Sahara Jane Nasr, the South Asian violin-like instrument the sārangī\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe album also emerged in the wake of an unexpected Holy Fuck rediscovery after ‘Tom Tom’ featured in a key scene in Amazon Prime Video hit animated series ‘Invincible’ - and it’s now their most streamed track with twelve times the number of its nearest competitor. Brian and Graham recall a discussion with their then-label, who were somewhere between curious and indifferent about their choice of ‘Tom Tom’ as a lead single for the ‘Congrats’ album. As Brian continues, “There’s something validating when something happens years later for such a random reason that you wouldn’t have predicted.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe unpredictable happened once more when ‘Lost Cool’ resurfaced in the Academy Award winning body horror ‘The Substance’. Graham took the opportunity to see it on the big screen. “I was in the big theater watching it, and then remembering back to listening to the demo that I made of just the drum beat and the synth bassline in my car, cranked up driving through Toronto, just like, this is fun. It's kind of cool to put it all into perspective, and have that cycle happen.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBetween those spotlight moments and the vibrancy of \u003cem\u003eEvent Beat\u003c\/em\u003e and it’s clear that Holy Fuck are as relevant as ever. It can’t be attributed to any one thing. Perhaps it’s the conviction to keep going and sticking to their guns regardless of music’s latest trends. Maybe it’s the pure compulsion to keep at it even after many of their early peers have drifted away. Or it could be them setting an example to younger musicians that playing live off the floor can still be a creative thrill - as demonstrated by their incoming ‘At Work’ video performance series.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“What I hope people take away from it is an appreciation is the togetherness and the humanity in the music,” concludes Graham. “Music should be played and enjoyed together. When that raw punk sound comes off the stage you should just enjoy it and relish that experience. It’s wonderful and awesome.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Satellite Services","offers":[{"title":"LP - Red","offer_id":56401512005963,"sku":"R9833-5825","price":26.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/a3603508285_10.jpg?v=1769532049"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/collections\/test_25f9588c_thumbnail_4096_c4498c4a-333d-42db-a6ae-c67b464f38b2.jpg?v=1726643115","url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/collections\/holy-fuck.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}