Brisbane purveyors of gospel, soul and funk, The Holy Rollercoasters, unleashed a fury of beats last week when their debut EP Bathe dropped via Valley Heat Records. A tight, captivating release featuring the octet’s impeccable instrumentation and incredible storytelling, Bathe wastes no time in getting down to the business of cleansing listeners’ palettes.
Lead single Bathe In The Blood Of The Lamb energetically introduces the release combining glorious gospel vibes with a healthy dose of 1960s-style rock’n’roll guitars, gorgeous instrumental breaks and smooth brass. Girl With The Dragon Tattoo slows things down and is what we’d imagine Nick Cave making a dark gospel track for Scorsese’s 1976 classic Taxi Driver would sound like. A brooding number about a despicable character, the vocal delivery is commanding while the beautifully dingy instrumental effortlessly elevates the vivid imagery. Song Of Offering offers a brighter palette; it’s a slow, smooth jam featuring perfectly synchronised carefree guitars and keyboard. It’s reminiscent of Sydney retro-revivalist Alex Cameron, with an instrumental you could slow dance to. Ain’t Gonna Get Better (despite its title) features perky instrumentals and is sure to be a live favourite – the chorus is wildly catchy and the vocal delivery is effortlessly cool.
A baptism of brilliance, The Holy Rollercoasters debut EP is an interesting, fresh and entertaining take on old-school gospel, soul and funk.
The Holy Rollercoasters debut EP Bathe is out now. They’ll be launching Bathe at Brisbane’s Club Limbo on Saturday, 24 August with Golden Sound, Signature Series and Yas Queen. All event info HERE.
This review is courtesy of Phoenix Radio’s Emerge program, hosted by Calen Le Couteur and Russell Thompson. Follow Emerge and tune in on Monday nights 7-9PM HERE.
