Holy Roller Baby - Frenzy (2020) [Hi-Res]

With funky, soulful riffs, rampant melodies, hooky songcraft and markedly smooth production, Holy Roller Baby sound like a band with some measure of experience behind them on their upcoming debut album, Frenzy. As well they should since the Texas-based band (Austin and Dallas) features three-fourths of the defunct Heavy Glow. Jared Mullins, Nick Snyder and Patrick Smith from that band join up with drummer Luke Callaway — also in Snyder‘s bluesy solo-ish project, Nick Snyder & The Real Deal, which released a debut EP in March — and while there remains a strong current of Josh Homme-style melody in Mullins‘ voice, Holy Roller Baby feel immediately less restrained by heavy rock convention than the prior outfit. Eschewing psychedelic elements for an earthier feel, a cut like “Blue Devin Inn” finds its way into the ethereal nonetheless, likewise the closer “Mantra,” and the starts and stops of “Id Vicious” and the strut of “Ravings at Your Window” expand on the core desert-hued familiarity one might hear in the opener “Leper Blues/Spread Your Love Around” and a song like “Eve.” It is an encouraging debut, built with a clear intention toward reaching out to an audience beyond the heavy rock underground and offering everyone a glimpse at what they’ve been missing.

Holy Roller Baby issued “Leper Blues” a few months back as a kind of sneak preview single and there’s a video below that’s ready for digging in. To guide you on your way, here’s the album announcement from the PR wire:

Louder than the sounds of rowdy groups and leaders in authority are the ever-so-honest thoughts of those who view life from the corner. Described as “rock that rolls with primitive swagger,” Holy Roller Baby’s upcoming album release offers rock lovers the intensity of a rock album with the heart of a soul record. Seeking to illuminate the human experience without being preachy or judgemental, this record is not about taking sides. By rallying listeners to simply figure out complex things together, all are invited to the “Frenzy” on October 9, 2020.

“A lot of cool kids make music, and I don’t really fit into that world,” says singer/songwriter Jared Mullins, candidly. “I don’t know what it’s like to be the cool kid.”

Written at a time where division may seem prevalent, Holy Roller Baby’s unfiltered lyrics throughout “Frenzy” offer listeners a fresh look at what it means to be human. All tracks were written by Jared Mullins using simple “rudimentary drum loops and very basic guitar parts” before they were presented to the band. Notably, Ian Davenport (Demob Happy, Band of Skulls, Radiohead) responded to their demos with great enthusiasm, inviting the band to record the full-length record at Courtyard Studios in Oxfordshire, England, owned by Radiohead’s management company; doors opened for Holy Roller Baby to open for Band of Skulls and Demob Happy during their US tour (September 9th). The band partnered with Chalupa Production in Dallas, TX to create music videos for this album, one of which (“Ravings At Your Window, released June 14th, 2019) hit 100K+ views within about three months of its debut.

Complex in its simplicity, “Frenzy” signifies a turning point for Holy Roller Baby, once subject to descriptions that didn’t match who they know they are, deep down. By fusing the extremes of songs that are heavy (“Leper Blues” and “Eve”) with a soulful-Motown feel (“Your Body Will Sing”), the result is an unboxed sound that beams with confidence. With pure intentionality, the band’s ability to articulate what they’re about has come to inform everything they do. From recklessly-fun rhythms to their edgy lyrics, listeners will find it nearly impossible not to relate.

As Jared put it plainly, “I don’t f***ing get life yet. I feel like I should, but I don’t.”

In many ways, Holy Roller Baby’s music marks an era where it’s okay not to have it all figured out. To view life from the corner alongside them, join the “Frenzy.”