The Holidays - When the Ship Goes Down EP

6 January 2009 by Max Easton

The Holidays are known quite well amongst the Sydney Indie circuit, with appearances at smaller Sydney festivals and support slots for names ranging from Little Red to Ben Kweller making their name identifiable by fans with a keen ear. With the not-so-subtly titled track ‘Holiday’ doing the rounds of radio, they should certainly be no stranger to the common Australian music fan and with the release of ‘When the Ship Goes Down,’ it’s hard to see them falling off the radar any time soon. 

The Holidays throw together the stock standard arrangement of guitars, bass and drums to produce a sonic powerplay mirroring today’s brand of indie music who rely on keys, synths, xylophones and more to identify their sound. Their sound lies somewhere between that of the Wombats and Cold War Kids and for the most, is quite successful. The five-track EP is full of catchy hooks, jumpy riffs and whiny vocals that all lends itself to firming the Holidays as the real deal. ‘When the Ship Goes Down’ is a thoroughly enjoyable listen and a great reflection of what the band has to offer. However, it’s not all roses and basslines, the EP feels a little jilted and isn’t a totally cohesive listen. While this is to be expected of an EP, one hopes that it’s all a matter of teething while they work on their debut album with better production values and tighter performances as a whole. 

If you get a chance to see the Holidays live, definitely check them out. If you like the live show, definitely buy this EP. It’s a very solid reflection of where the band is at and shows a whole of promise for where they’re heading, just don’t expect a masterpiece and it’ll be entirely satisfactory.

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