Desert Kites - Holiday

Two things immediately drew me to Desert Kites: their new single is titled “Holiday,” and glamglare newsletter subscribers know that we are going on a holiday or vacation right at home in New York City. So I was, of course, curious whether the track truly works as a stimulating sound piece. Spoiler alert: it does! The second thing that made maybe subconsciously ‘click’ is the fact that this alt-rock duo hails from Dundee, a town in Scotland where I, indeed, been on holiday many years ago, well, decades even. At a time when Glaswegian alt-rockers Del Amitri were one of my all-time favorite bands (they still are) and when newer favorites like The Kooks (2004) from Brighton, England were yet to appear on the scene. “Holiday” reminds me of both bands.

With its harmonizing guitars, Desert Kites’ “Holiday” also reminds me of a particular album by a US band with a celebrity member on bass who is currently touring the U.K. I am thinking of Dogstar and their 2000 album, Happy Ending. Asked about the track, Shaleph O’Neill, one-half of Desert Kites, says:

“Everybody loves a holiday. Even better, a stolen holiday taken when you shouldn’t. Like Ferris Bueller taking a day off when everyone else is at work. Our song ‘Holiday’ is about exactly that. With an upbeat tempo built around a solid guitar riff reminiscent of Van Halen and a Foo Fighters-esque chorus, ‘Holiday’ is a reminder to enjoy the good life while you can. To quote Ferris Bueller: ‘Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t look around once in a while, you could miss it’… Amen to that.”

Listen to “Holiday,” our Song Pick of the Day:

Connect with Desert Kites and add “Holiday” to your playlist as we add it to our #glamglarepick playlist on Spotify and YouTube: