Close All Doors
Apollon, 2021
9/10
The exceptional duo of Andrej Nebb (of De Press) and Lars Pedersen (When), Holy Toy return with a double album of very experimental ideas where no genre is off limits, and a massive amount of creativity is present.
“Polka Fly” starts the listen with a mashing of electro-rock meets world music fusion in a very atypical opener, and this ingenuity follows to the guitar focused “Sunday Free”, as well as the experimental New Wave nods of “Superficial”.
Elsewhere, “Mental Castration” pairs robotic singing with much atmosphere, while “Choir In Silence” does recruit soaring backing vocals alongside a hypnotic display of melody. “Scarolezsmie Boze”, one of the album’s best, offers playful bass amid much ambience and mystery.
Deeper yet, “Trapped” sounds ready for the club with its danceable demeanor, and “Iron Damp” lands in post-punk territory as darker textures unfold with much precision. “Breathe”, one of the most innovative tunes, then touches on Eastern sounds with a nearly meditative quality.
As we near the end, “Wake Up” flirts with punk while a firm beat and pretty vocals guide the crunchy landscape, and “Sleeping Shepard” exits the listen with over 9 minutes of the sounds of water and minimal instrumentation that, 7 minutes in, bursts into a jam band style execution.
The first great record of 2021, Holy Toy are nothing if not unpredictable, as each song amazes, entertains, and, on occasion, perplexes, but we’re all better off for it.