Holy Other – Held

A few weeks ago Holy Other played a tentative comeback show at XOYO in London, and it was one of the best electronic gigs of the year so far. It was still the same live show as last year – veiled face, footage of frozen oceans, you know the deal – but the music’s funk and soul were fresher, clearer and purer than before. Bringing to mind both Joy Division and Sweet Female Attitude in emotional overload and elegiac synths, it showed Holy Other to be one of the most exciting guts around. This, the title track from his new album ‘Held’, goes even further down that cold-yet-comforting path, revealing a song-structure and body impetus far in advance of his closest competitors, and manages to sound like this generation’s Belfast. The album will be out in August on Tri Angle.