Geordie Greep – Holy, Holy Review

Former Black Midi frontman and likely professional bowler Geordie Greep thrives in a solo environment. The man hits a strike and saunters around in the music video for Holy, Holy, the lead single of debut album The New Sound. Bold and ambitious in equal measure, and we should expect nothing more of Greep. The bar is high. He pulls dance moves like an awkward school kid at a disco stocking Sherbert sweets and Capri Suns in this outstanding, independent effort. Truly one of the greats. There is depth in this track which will only reveal itself days after repeat listens. A slow burner but easily accessed and a joy to listen through. An exceptional song to put on a loop for your walk to and from Asda to pick up garlic bread and some sweet treat for your ailing partner. But now we are stocked and stuffed with pain au chocolat and a withered spaghetti bolognese. Turn to true satisfaction – the instrumental and lyrical efforts of the character Greep portrays.  

An intense listen, but it holds the same cheek and nerve as previous Greep writings. Hilarious the longer you listen to it and yet there is a flood of honesty to the actions Greep has observed. Holy, Holy has the kisses, slaps and sinister nature of men on the prowl, bedding women as though they were trophies for the cabinet above the post-marital frame. Watch the Windmill performance. Listen to the music. Watch the music video. Book tickets for the Brudenell Club. All roads lead to The Greep. What an achievement. By far the best song of the year. An intensity and sinister notion pass through this one and yet it remains an exhilarating, tongue-in-cheek song. Greep is fluid in his scene-setting ways and the intensity of his vocal here is matched by the instrumental fury. Those latter moments with the brass, the distortion and the incredible guitar work have candour matched by the pathetic character at the heart of this. 

Recall the encounter and put it to the test of what a listener will accept. The self-confidence in making conversation with a target, but also in believing it is not a problem, but a pleasure, to impart your words onto a stranger. A theatre kid-like creation where the big band implication is to push this credible, creepy Greep character into the spotlight. Shine a light on those across the globe, from Moscow and Tokyo as Greep shows here, who perform this unironically. A behaviour mocked under the light of an intensity from one of the best vocalists out there. Two minutes dedicated to the reality of those men. Prying at women who will make them the main characters in a room of unbothered others. Impressive work to say the least. No amount of gushing will get to the core of this well-worn masterclass.  

A refreshing listen, to say the least. Greep has cemented himself as one of the greats. This is no hyperbole. Few can construct a song as intensely gratifying and understanding of the modern horrors out there on the streets. Greep does it with a six-minute masterclass. Holy, Holy is an instrumental powerhouse. A thematic deep dive. One of those songs which massages all the right spots in your soggy, rot-riddled brain. But it is this rot which marks a curioso for Greep. He is fascinated by the stagnation of the everyman, and the cultural indifference of those who see graft as a pastime. Seth Evans’ production does well to hold the shifting patterns and genre blurs together with such sleekness. Greep gets better and better. It should be no surprise Holy, Holy is this perfect, daring track, and yet the surprises keep coming.