“We’re definitely a product of all the shit that we’ve stage dived to over the years.”
Honestly, the debut EP from Tampa, Florida’s Holy Dose feels like the sort of thing I may have dreamed into existence. Members of one of my favourite current bands channelling some of my favourite ever sounds and singing about losing your mind under the relentless grind of everyday life? Need af.
On record, the band comprises guitarist/bassist D’Angelo Casanas and vocalist Cosmo Vidussi (both also of Contention), and drummer Bobby Delaney who seems to have played or sessioned with just about every band in the area in the last few years, with a full/live lineup completed by bassist Bayly Branson (also of Contention and many others), and guitarists Axel Nieves and Ryan Seymour.
Given the credentials of those involved, one may enter expecting to find some form of edge metal or metallic hardcore, but will leave instead having experienced a glorious throwback to some time in the early '90s when rock bands were allowed to be a little bit punk and punk and post-hardcore bands suddenly started writing some of the catchiest songs in the world.
The band describes it as “loud guitar music for those who contemplate flying a plane into the ground mid-shift,” on which Cosmo kindly elaborates below.
Could you tell me a bit about how the band came together?
We’ve all been touring together in other bands for years and always wanted to do a band inspired by '90s rock. After hardcore and metal shows we have a strict no heavy music policy in the van, so we’re putting a lot of Seaweed, Dinosaur Jr, Nirvana, Jawbreaker, Pixies, Pearl Jam etc. D’Angelo put together some riffs in that vein, and recruited Bobby and I from there. It’s our take on '90s guitar music.
I note a few of you play in Contention. What's it like writing for something so different from that kinda sound?
Less risk of a head wound on stage for sure. The high energy of hardcore music definitely carries over for us. It’s impossible for us to stand still and do the shoegaze thing, so even with a different sound, we’re approaching things with a similar intensity. More stage dives, less spin kicks.
Anyone who reads the lyrics should be able to get a good idea of what the tracks are about, what drew you to those themes - “the absurdities and mundanities of 'American life,' as you refer to them?
I’ve spent a lot of time driving shitty cars from shitty apartments to shitty jobs. This record is about that: feeling stuck on the crashing plane of American life. Trying to get ahead right now feels like the world levels with you, every time you move forward. Rent goes up, life gets less affordable, pay gets shittier.
What's going on in the artwork for the Sharp Decline EP?
In the early 2000s, this high school kid in Tampa drove a stolen prop plane into a building downtown. I think it’s a sick photo with a lot of cool, subtle colors going on. I wasn’t particular about the plane crash metaphors on this.
The record is intercut with black box recordings from Richard Russell, Skyking, in his final moments before crashing a stolen airliner into an island in Washington. For whatever reason, a lot of people relate to his story. Me included.
How did the first Holy Dose show in Tampa go last month?
Sick. Gumm rules, Watts rules. We played with our friends in Polyester and Zero Mob. All solid bands, everyone should check out.
You guys are quite clear in referring to yourselves as a guitar/rock band, rather than a hardcore band, presumably. Who are some other bands in that category that you love at the moment?
Feels Like Heaven, Zero Miles Per Hour, Militarie Gun, Webbed Wing, Drug Church, MSPaint, Pleasure Pill, Siddhartha Smile.
Do you have any hopes or plans for the band going forward?
We’re trying to do as much as our fucked up schedules permit. We’ll be on the West Coast for a little bit this summer. We’re always writing new shit, so we’ll definitely be in the studio and on the road later this year.
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Sharp Decline is available now via New Morality Zine.
Holy Dose on social media: Instagram
Tagged: contention, holy dose
