Album Review: The Holidays - Real Feel

Sitting by the beach with your friends, waves rolling in and the sun in shining is part of Australian culture and The Holidays have always had the right vibe to bring along. The guys got together in 2008, breaking onto the Australian music scene with their singles "The Lovers" and "When The Ship Goes Down" and we were begging for more! Their long awaited first Album Post Paradise confirmed what we had all been thinking, these guys are good! Tracks like "Golden Sky" and "Broken Bones" gave the essence of a summer romance to anyone who listened. Since then the band have traveled Australia, America and the UK for festivals like SXSW, The Great Escape Festival and Splendour in the Grass.

Since their last record Post Paradise, The Holiday’s have taken a small step back from the palm trees and Hawaiian shirts and embraced a more deeper electronic tone. With the band’s four year haitus it’s given Simon Jones, Andrew Kerridge and Alex Kortt time to consolidate the band’s vision and we're picking up what they’re putting down! Their newest album Real Feel begins with "Long Now" a distant almost in the clouds track that is the perfect beginning to the journey of the album. "All Time High", "Simple Pleasures" and "Please Forget" steps it up a notch and reflects on the fluidity and synth aesthetic of the album without loosing their tropical feel.

I felt like the album tells the tale of a returning traveller from what was a magical adventure to the "realness" of their home. It’s not in a depressing  way but uplifting and liberating. "Home" aptly named, is executed beautifully by Simon’s goose-bumpy and ghostly vocals.

The album ends with "Morning Workout" where you expect to hear Donna Summer to be instructing you through an 80’s exercise routine instead the sounds like The Chemical Brothers track "Star Guitar" went for a jog in the Bahamas. After reading into it lead singer Simon actually mentions:

It was designed to match my daily 5km route and I think I got so attached to it that we had to make it into a real song. It really came to life when the guitar parts were added and the various sections developed into a kind of three-part epic.

Real Feel is just as it says honest, inspiring and real music! Although the guys have journied into a darker space than their old stuff Real Feel is an album to transition you from summer into the winter months while still keeping a Pina Colada in hand.

Check out The Holidays on Facebook or find their new album on iTunes