Let me just start by saying that I still don’t get why some artists feel compelled to swear and (in this case specifically) drop f-bombs in their names. Yes, their band names. OK, well, I actually get that it’s for shock value and all that but really? Anal Cunt, Alabama Thunder Pussy, Fucked Up, Fuck Buttons, and now Holy Fuck, may not necessarily be aiming for super-stardom, but right out of the gate, with a name like that, you’ve instantly eliminated maybe half the people that may ever hear your music. In this case, the case of these Toronto lads in Holy Fuck, it is a bit of a shame. Their self-titled album is pretty good and has served me well during multiple miles of jogging on my basement treadmill. It is full of electro dance rock that is melodic, grooving, propulsive, and whacked out (read: experimental) enough that is doesn’t quickly (or ever) get boring or repetitive. Just imagine the slinky subterranean vibe of !!!’s Myth Takes with the synthy electro pop goodness of LCD Soundsystem and you might just be onto something here. The live drumming (at least it sounds that way) on this album also do a lot to spice things up and make it a little more frantic and organic. All in all, this is way better than I figured it would be, and that’s a shame.
MP3 | Holy Fuck – Milk Shake Holy Fuck
MP3 | Holy Fuck – Lovely Allen Holy Fuck
Matt Schulz from Enon does the drumming for Holy Fuck. They have a great sound. You’re right about the name. The Canadian government cited their name as one reason for cutting funding that was being used to help artists offset touring costs. They weren’t at fault, but it’s not surprising to see them end up with the blame.
There’s a local band here called Raucamole. While not vulgar, it’s just a bloody stupid name like Holy Fuck. I can’t imagine why bands tend to arbitrarily select godawful names. From a business perspective, a name means a great deal – I can’t count how many artists I’ve checked out just because I liked their name. I’m sure there’s a large demographic that’s attracted to sophomoric and/or scatalogical names. In this case, it’s not a big deal for me – ‘cause I think Holy Fuck is solidly mediocre, while Fuck Buttons are just talentless hacks.
Fucked Up are pretty rad. They’ll play them on the radio and just refer to them as F’d Up. I’m sure that since they’ve decided on these names, if people choose to not give them a listen because it, they don’t likely give a F.