New Album: Holy Nothing – Hypertext

Filed Under: Album/EP — By: Elke Nominikat

You know you got it big time when you’re at a rooftop show in Manhattan, on a beautiful early Fall night, a melodic and charming band is playing, yet all you want is to put your headphones on and listen to the album you discovered earlier that day. Listening to the same album for maybe the seventh time already!

It’s rare that a record immediately attaches itself to me but that’s exactly the case with Hypertext by Holy Nothing. It’s a blessing and a curse. A blessing, that music is able to transpire so much, to evoke strong emotions of all kinds, to energize, support and so much more. A curse, if you’re about to listen to more new music, checking out new albums and bands. Giving them a fair “chance” is hard, if you’re craving something else. 

Then, what’s so special about Hypertext, the first full length album  (released 09/25/15 through Awal Records) of Holy Nothing, comprised of Pedro Rodrigues (vocals, groovebox), Samuel Gonçalves (guitar, bass, drum pads), Nelson Silva (keyboards, drum pads)? Trying to compare this Portugal three piece to others, two fellow European bands playing a big role in the 80s electronic music scene come to mind: Front 242 from Belgium, and Fluke, from the UK. 

While Holy Nothing don’t sound anything like an 80s synths band, they are firmly grounded in contemporary trip-hop and electronic music, with nods to the past, share a knack for great, catchy and instantly likable tracks with the aforementioned bands plus similar projects.

Best, we dive right into the music because as soon as the second track, Cumbia, is on, you’re about to tap your feet or clap your hands, nodding your head… it is a surprisingly subtle, and slowly, steadily building number yet immediate catchy.

Another favorite track on an album where every track is my favorite, would be Rely On, which opens with drum beats, that suck you right in when the somewhat distorted vocals set in:

Watching the video for Mind, the fourth track on Hypertext, I want to see the Holy Nothing live! It’s not easy to make synth based music look appealing live but I am totally digging that nicely shot video. See for yourself:

Follow Holy Nothing on Facebook and stream their music on Soundcloud and/or Bandcamp and go see them live: