I’ll never be who I was before I met you
but that’s alright, we all move on,
whether or not we want to
Some flaws don’t declare themselves until the bill comes due. Foundations may appear solid until they suddenly aren’t. It might be days before a building betrays the secret of its leakiness, or months till a TV pitches its last dramatic hissy fit from a bygone storm. And isn’t it just like life? Realizing a lost shirt’s absence only after years have whisked it away.
Holy Wire is the brainchild of Alain Paradis, blessed with an ever-revolving door of bassists. This venture sprouted after a Brooklyn-to-Austin shuffle amidst that unspeakable pandemic. Post-heartbreak and freshly sober, Paradis found himself a veritable island in an unfamiliar town, a place still tiptoeing out of its isolated slumber. And with nothing but memories and time for company, he dove into songwriting, inching his way into the heartbeat of Austin’s melodies.
Worse For Wear sings the ballad of a heart, ever so hesitant, making its peace with a love story long past its closing chapter. Holy Wire’s signature hazy synth melodies, defiant drum beats, and bold bass guitar captures the dance between the wistful ‘what was’ and the resolute ‘what is.’ There’s a touch of Choir Boy’s longing and a hint of Black Marble’s sombre echoes in its sound. It’s like listening to nostalgia and rueful acceptance having a chat over brunch.
“At first I wrote it as a letter to someone, not thinking too much about how it would fit into a song,” Paradis says, “it was very much a feeling in a particular moment.”
Taking a page out of the playbook of old-school trailblazers like The Smiths or Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, there’s a wry twist in the mix. It’s that delicious irony of pouring heartache into a beat you can’t help but dance to. The tune wraps up with that tang of longing, a desire for answers that may never come, but with a shrug of acceptance in the silence.
Watch the video, directed by Evan Crowley, below, depicting Paradis in a lonesome cabin, ruminating over his lyrics.
Holy Wire is carving out a niche in the budding world of synth tunes in Austin, playing shoulder-to-shoulder with local sensations like Urban Heat and Haunt Me. They’re all part of a fresh wave of musicians, digging deep into the troves of 80s post-punk and cold-wave, and emerging with unique anthems of their own. Think Black Marble, Teleman, Automatic, and the irresistible allure of Future Islands lighting up our late-night screens. And would you believe, in just a blink of a year, Holy Wire’s already rubbed elbows on stage with the likes of The KVB and New York’s minimalist marvels, Xeno And Oaklander?
Worse For Wear is out now on 7” vinyl by Naturally Records and tape by Pink Noise Tapes.
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