There was a time when there was joy in the world and all songs were happy ones. Not any more for this is the 21st century and misery is the fashion. Holbrook are based in Paris, that most glorious and spiritually uplifting of cities, and yet they have chosen to show their mastery of the fashionably downbeat with the release of their EP “Hello Angel”.
That said, this is not a depressing collection of songs despite the lyrical focus on the failure and despondency prevalent in society with, especially, the rambling “Trampoline” reverberating within its own bleak purpose. Continuing with the positive, the lyrics of the rest of the songs suggest that the aforementioned song is no fluke and that there are minds at work that are acute enough to see what is around them and make comment upon it all while, musically, laziness has been avoided with all the songs, whilst making extensive use of repetition, clearly constructed with care and a fair degree of flair.
“Hello Angel” is not a trivial undertaking and it has, in truth, little immediate appeal. However, if you invest some of your time in it then you may well find that there is more than enough substance to satisfy both your mind and your heart.
The EP is available from Bandcamp.