“Spirit blended styles”
Become Who You Are
Boston, MA
(Self-released)
Become Who You Are starts with a spacious organ, a giggle, and a question: “Are we ready?” The first words on their first release, the question is appropriate for a young independent band. The gentle sound of the organ quickly transforms as the band comes in with a circus beat, building upwards until they break apart while leader Laura Patino calls out in a sing-song lilt punctuated with wild calls, all within the first two minutes. Holiday Mountain’s sound is a swirling mix of reggae, rock, psychedelia, and all things dance. The band finds ways to stretch grooves and melodies in unexpected directions, while still remaining danceable. “Black Magic Sugar” begins with a reggae organ and a rubber band bass backed up by a hip-hop beat, develops into a complex array of sounds, dissolves into an oddly catchy melody that seems to be always just off the beat and somehow finds its way back to the original groove. Patino’s voice glides around lyrics of self and societal examination that are at turns poignant, affirming, and threatening. Unconventional in all the right ways, Become Who You Are shows Holiday Mountain ready for the big time and marks them as band to watch.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEpGum1AobI&feature=related
Engineered, Mixed, and Mastered by Geoffrey Nielsen