Holy Wave: Interloper review

By Dominique Schoenfeld
Music Journalist

The Austin based band Holy Wave has released their new album Interloper that contains a modern psychedelic rock/pop sounding. 

Since 2012, their other albums have had some elements of psychedelic rock/pop, but the album Interloper fully embraces it. The sounds of synth and guitar transports audiences into a whole new world. This new album from Holy Wave is very refreshing and memorizing compared to their previous albums. The full album is 44 minutes and 41 seconds of greatness, each song enraptured the audience to join them on a psychedelic journey.

A couple of my personal favorites on this album are “Schmetterling”, “Interloper”, “Escapism”, and “I’m Not Living in the Past Anymore”. Each of these songs is memorizing and encompasses different themes of life. 

“Schmetterling”, is the album’s opener song. It starts with a synth sounding wormhole that welcomes the listener while the background chorus plays throughout the song creating a relaxing tone, this song is about entering the journey and recognizing the flaws the human brain can perceive in a person.

The song “Interloper” is the third song on the album and is the most mesmerizing of them all. It guides the listener through a new plane, the melodic tones and synths allowed me to get lost in thought and lucid dreams. It discusses the ever-changing challenges in life explaining why “Interloper” is a way to escape and be your true self.

“Escapism” and “I’m Not Living in the Past Anymore” are pivotal songs of the album with themes of existentialism and freedom from yourself. While the song “Escapism” is more slow-paced and hypnotic, “I’m Not Living in the Past Anymore” is more upbeat and encompasses more synth and faster rhythms than other songs listed in the album. 

The overall album is fantastic. If you are a fan of psychedelic rock/pop it will satisfy your need. I found the whole meaning of the album to have aspects of personal freedom, self-expression, and trusting yourself. Each of the songs sound unique in their own way, and each song avoids sounding like a synth disco. Instead, they used a mix of rock and synth to provide the audience with some variety. I highly recommend giving this album a chance to listen to as you may find it inspiring.

Album art by Anton Seder with courtesy of The Reverberation Appreciation Society