{{Other uses|Holy Holy (disambiguation)}} {{good article}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2025}} {{Infobox song | name = Holy, Holy | type = single | artist = Geordie Greep | album = The New Sound | released = {{Start date|2024|08|20|df=y}} | studio = Estudio Do Tuto and Da Pá Virada, São Paulo, Brazil<ref name="Liner"/> | genre = Progressive rock, art rock, Latin rock | length = {{Duration|m=6|s=3}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://shop.roughtraderecords.com/release/469033-geordie-greep-the-new-sound|title=Geordie Greep - The New Sound|work=Rough Trade Records|date=4 October 2024 |access-date=2025-09-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250613223431/https://shop.roughtraderecords.com/release/469033-geordie-greep-the-new-sound?lang=en_US|archive-date=2025-06-13}}</ref> | label = Rough Trade | writer = Geordie Greep | producer = Seth "Shank" Evans | chronology = Geordie Greep | next_title = Blues | next_year = 2024 | misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|A4EU_0vFzuU|"Holy, Holy"}}}} }}
"'''Holy, Holy'''" is a progressive rock song by English musician Geordie Greep. It was released on 20 August 2024 on Rough Trade Records as the lead single from his first solo album, ''The New Sound'', as well as Greep's debut single as a solo artist.
The song, produced by Seth "Shank" Evans, combines elements of jazz-rock with Latin and Brazilian influences, while its lyrics take a satirical perspective on arrogance and insecurities related to masculinity and misogyny. "Holy, Holy" received positive reviews upon its publication, with ''Pitchfork'' naming it a "Best New Track" and later one of the best songs of 2024, while other reviews commented on its status as an ambitious debut for Greep's solo career.<ref name="Clunk">{{Cite web|url=https://clunkmag.com/black-midis-geordie-greep-announces-debut-solo-album/|last=Ward|first=George|title=black midi's Geordie Greep Announces Debut Solo Album|work=Clunk Magazine|date=2024-08-21|access-date=2025-09-18}}</ref><ref name="KXSC">{{Cite web|url=https://kxsc.org/articles/brothers-osborne-8mad2-slrre-r99gh|last=Farahi|first=Shalen|title=TRACK REVIEW: Geordie Greep: "Holy, Holy"|work=KXSC Radio|date=2024-11-12|access-date=2025-09-18|language=en-US}}</ref>
==Background== "Holy, Holy" was recorded as part of the sessions for what would become Geordie Greep's debut album, ''The New Sound'', while Greep and Seth "Shank" Evans were in Brazil touring for the band Black Midi in November and December 2023. They used the studios at Estudio Do Tuto and Da Pá Virada in São Paulo for these recording sessions.<ref name="Liner">{{Cite AV media notes |title=The New Sound |id=191402049909 |others= |publisher=Rough Trade Records |year=2024 |type=Vinyl liner notes |last=Greep |first=Geordie |author-link=Geordie Greep}}</ref><ref name="Stereogum">{{Cite web|url=https://www.stereogum.com/2282606/geordie-greep-on-the-end-of-black-midi-recording-in-brazil-and-his-wild-debut-solo-album-the-new-sound/music/|last=Leas|first=Ryan|title=Geordie Greep On The End Of Black Midi, Recording In Brazil, And His Wild Debut Solo Album|work=Stereogum|date=2024-10-01|access-date=2025-09-18}}</ref> While he was a member of Black Midi, Greep was noted for a heavy theatrical flair in his songwriting process, often with a strong narrative presence, which the Associated Press said was carried over into ''The New Sound''.<ref name="AP">{{Cite web |last=Fauria |first=Krysta |date=2024-10-01 |title=Music Review: black midi's Geordie Greep aims for 'The New Sound' on his solo debut. And he hits it |url=https://apnews.com/article/black-midi-geordie-greep-new-album-b865040ea51efd0d3be0b896771ccb88 |access-date=2025-05-21 |website=AP News |language=en}}</ref>
Originally, Greep and Evans were planning to hold the sessions in London but they instead chose to record in Brazil due to the influences of Brazilian music on the composition of "Holy, Holy". He contacted a Brazilian he was familiar with and hired session musicians. These musicians refused the chord charts Greep gave them, saying they would not be needed, but as they started playing, Greep found that the song came out exactly how he wanted it to sound. Although they were initially planning to focus mainly on "Holy, Holy", Greep and the other musicians ended up recording three more songs during these sessions in São Paulo. Greep was quoted by ''Stereogum'' saying, "it was the first time it got better and better exponentially from the idea to the demo to the recording".<ref name="Stereogum" />
Prior to release, Greep was unsure of how "Holy, Holy" would be received; he heard the song hundreds of times during recording but had no perspective outside of himself and his friends on whether it would be liked. Before the announcement of ''The New Sound'', Greep performed several solo live shows but did not play "Holy, Holy" at any of them. Greep told the website ''Post-Trash'' that this was because he believed that listeners would be better served hearing the studio recording of "Holy, Holy" first before any live version. Greep saw "Holy, Holy" as a song that required precision and enthusiasm when performing it, and he wanted to ensure that the crowd was enthusiastic before its live debut.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://post-trash.com/news/2024/10/21/geordie-greep-feature-interview|last=Birse|first=Devin|title=Waltzing the Line Between Schmaltz and Sleaze: Geordie Greep Interviewed|date=2024-10-22|access-date=2025-09-18}}</ref>
The single was released 10 days after Greep announced that his band Black Midi had broken up.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Strauss |first=Matthew |date=2024-08-20 |title=Black Midi's Geordie Greep Announces Tour and Debut Solo Album, Shares New Video |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/black-midi-geordie-greep-announces-tour-and-debut-solo-album-shares-new-video-watch/ |access-date=2025-03-01 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}</ref> The release of both "Holy, Holy" and ''The New Sound'' as a whole was supported by Rough Trade Records,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/black-midi-s-geordie-greep-announces-solo-debut-the-new-sound|last=Hudson|first=Alex|title=black midi's Geordie Greep Announces Solo Debut 'The New Sound'|work=Exclaim!|date=2024-08-20|access-date=2025-09-18}}</ref> the label which previously published Black Midi's discography.<ref name="Clash">{{Cite web|url=https://www.clashmusic.com/news/geordie-greep-black-midi-confirms-solo-album-the-new-sound/|last=Murray|first=Robin|work=Clash Music|title=Geordie Greep – black midi – Confirms Solo Album 'The New Sound'|date=2024-08-20|access-date=2025-09-18}}</ref>
==Composition and content== While chiefly defined in the progressive rock genre, "Holy, Holy" derives influence from funk, jazz fusion and art rock, as well as Brazilian bossa nova and Latin music such as salsa.<ref name="TMM">{{Cite web|url=https://www.tastemakersmag.com/articles/the-new-sound-geordie-greep|last=Arsenau|first=Jack|title=The New Sound - Geordie Greep|work=Tastemakers Music Magazine|date=2024-10-23|access-date=2025-09-18}}</ref><ref name="WVUA">{{Cite web|url=https://wvuafm.ua.edu/2024/11/06/from-black-midi-to-bossa-nova-a-review-of-the-new-sound-by-geordie-greep/|title=From Black Midi to Bossa Nova: A Review of The New Sound by Geordie Greep|last=Marik|first=Z.|work=WVUA-FM|date=2024-11-06|access-date=2025-09-18}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://diymag.com/review/album/geordie-greep-the-new-sound|title=Geordie Greep - The New Sound|last=Vázquez|first=Sophie|work=DIY|date=2024-10-04|access-date=2025-09-18}}</ref> "Holy, Holy" was further described by ''KXSC Radio'' as "[blending] post-punk, prog, funk, and latin jazz fusion".<ref name="KXSC" /> Writing for ''Pitchfork'', Sam Goldner compared the song to Steely Dan and Pere Ubu.<ref name="PitchforkTrack">{{Cite web |last=Goldner |first=Sam |title=Geordie Greep: "Holy, Holy" |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/geordie-greep-holy-holy/ |access-date=2025-03-01 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}</ref> Krysta Fauria of the Associated Press described the single as "cacophonous, and somehow pleasing," which she cited as "evidence of Greep's idiosyncratic skill."<ref name="AP" /> "Holy, Holy" and the rest of the tracks on ''The New Sound'' were produced by Seth "Shank" Evans, with Greep credited as a co-producer.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thequietus.com/interviews/geordie-greep-black-midi-interview/|last=Tizard|first=Eden|title=Beyond The Band: Geordie Greep Interviewed|work=The Quietus|date=2024-09-05|access-date=2025-09-18}}</ref>
The track, like many in ''The New Sound'', was inspired by men Greep met while drinking at clubs and the stories they would tell him, sung from the point of view of a cartoonishly misogynist character. The song's chorus mentions the character being known by "jihadis", which Greep said was inspired by how Andrew Tate bragged about ISIS watching his videos.<ref name="Stereogum" /> Greep also said that this archetype of man had "taken over the internet", a phenomenon he called frustrating. Shaad D'Souza of ''The Guardian'' wrote that while Greep's lyrics were satirical, the music felt earnest, supported by Greep's vocal performance being "in the style of a Broadway performer".<ref name="Guardian">{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/oct/07/ex-black-midi-star-geordie-greep-the-new-sound|last=D'Souza|first=Shaad|title=Ex-Black Midi star Geordie Greep: 'Almost every band behaves like a corporation. Everything is a press release'|work=The Guardian|date=2024-10-07|access-date=2025-09-18}}</ref>
{{Quote box | quote = That's the whole thing, you can't let it completely become an ironic thing or a pessimistic thing or a satirical thing, because you lose a bit of the actual heart of it. At some point you have to say, well, why does this song actually exist, other than to take the piss out of people or just be stupid? That's why, in the same sentence sometimes, you're laughing, you're repulsed, and you also feel sorry. I wanted to make those things as hard to distinguish as possible.<ref name="SMH" /> | author = Geordie Greep | align = right | width = 25em }}
D'Souza also noted potential concerns over the song's lyrical content, but wrote that "Greep tries not to tailor his music to literal-minded people".<ref name="Guardian" /> Greep told ''Stereogum'' that creating the song was a hard sell, even to himself, and would have been difficult to pitch as a Black Midi release, in terms of both its instrumentation and lyrics. He described the thought process as "Oh, man, if this comes off wrong, it's bad news." Greep found that working solo, where he could "[have] a one-track vision and an uncompromising approach", worked best for songs on ''The New Sound'', and especially in the case of "Holy, Holy".<ref name="Stereogum" />
Steve Erickson of ''Slant Magazine'' characterized the whole of ''The New Sound'' as a take on toxic masculinity,<ref name="Slant">{{Cite web|url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/geordie-greep-the-new-sound-album-review/|title=Geordie Greep 'The New Sound' Review: Former Black Midi Frontman Takes on Toxic Masculinity|last=Erickson|first=Steve|work=Slant Magazine|date=2024-09-30|access-date=2025-09-18}}</ref> a description echoed and applied to "Holy, Holy" in particular, by ''SCAD Radio'' of Savannah College of Art and Design<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://scadradio.org/2025/02/04/the-divine-stleazebag-how-geordie-greep-tears-down-the-manosphere/|last=Washington|first=TJ|title=The divine sleazebag: how Geordie Greep tears down the manosphere|work=SCAD Radio|date=2025-02-04|access-date=2025-09-18}}</ref> and WVUA-FM of the University of Alabama.<ref name="WVUA" /> Erickson wrote that "Holy, Holy" highlights the perspective of a "swaggering creep", additionally pointing out how the song's lyrics eventually reveal that the character being described in the song is only tolerated by women as long as he pays them.<ref name="Slant" /> ''KXSC Radio'' also noted the progression of the song's narrative, and how the narrator's words "gradually expose the misogynistic insecurities that fuel his fabricated arrogance" the longer the track goes on.<ref name="KXSC" /> In a review for ''The Sydney Morning Herald'', Robert Moran described "Holy, Holy" as part of the natural tension on ''The New Sound'' contrasting comedic, sexually desperate character portraits like that of "Holy, Holy", as opposed to other songs on the record, like Greep's cover of "If You Are But a Dream", which evoke a "tinge of sympathy".<ref name="SMH">{{Cite web|url=https://www.smh.com.au/culture/music/the-incel-era-finally-has-its-first-classic-album-20241014-p5ki4j.html|last=Moran|first=Robert|title=The incel era finally has its first classic album|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=2024-10-18|access-date=2025-09-18}}</ref>
==Music video== [[File:"Holy, Holy" - Geordie Greep music video animated.gif|thumb|right|"Holy, Holy" is purposefully edited to depict Greep bowling consistent strikes, even as the editing becomes increasingly obvious.<ref name="Mic" />]] The music video for "Holy, Holy" was released alongside the song on August 20, directed by Ethan Barrett and Tom Gullam (credited as simply "Ethan & Tom").<ref>{{Cite web|date=2024-09-03|title=Geordie Greep 'Holy, Holy' by Ethan & Tom|url=https://www.promonews.tv/videos/2024/09/03/geordie-greep-holy-holy-ethan-tom/87942|website=PromoNews|access-date=2025-05-21|language=en}}</ref><ref name="David">{{Cite web|date=2024-09-11|url=https://www.davidreviews.tv/News/Partizan_welcome_Ethan_and_Tom/|title=Partizan welcome Ethan & Tom|last=MacGregor|first=Andrew|work=David Reviews|access-date=2025-09-18}}</ref> It was filmed at CJ's Bowling in Hockley, Essex,<ref name="David" /> and presents Greep at a bowling alley, drinking cocktails while singing to the camera. The video was purposefully edited to show Greep scoring perfect strikes every time. Towards the end of the video, Greep walks into a billiard room and the video zooms in to a floating black square, where various casino signs and lights fly past in kaleidoscope-like imagery.<ref name="Mic">{{Cite web |last=Foulkes |first=Charlotte |date=2024-09-12 |title=Geordie Greep's 'Holy, Holy': A Chaotic Masterpiece or Total Misfire? |url=https://www.themicmagazine.uk/post/geordie-greep-s-holy-holy-a-chaotic-masterpiece-or-total-misfire |access-date=2025-03-01 |website=The Mic |language=en}}</ref> Andrew MacGregor of ''David Reviews'' wrote regarding the music video: "the more we learn about Greep's character, however, the less convinced we are of his abilities on the lane".<ref name="David" />
==Reception== Upon its release online, "Holy, Holy" received critical acclaim from publications like ''Pitchfork'', which designated the song with its "Best New Track" tag.<ref name="PitchforkTrack" /> In December 2024, ''Pitchfork'' ranked "Holy, Holy" as the 11th best song of the year.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-12-02 |title=The 100 Best Songs of 2024 |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/best-songs-2024/ |access-date=2025-03-01 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}</ref> Will Schube for ''Flood Magazine'' praised "Holy, Holy" by writing, "this is batshit insane, and it's spectacular".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://floodmagazine.com/170705/watch-geordie-greep-black-midi-holy-holy/|last=Schube|first=Will|title=Geordie Greep Shares First Post–Black Midi Solo Track, "Holy Holy"|work=Flood Magazine|date=2024-08-20|access-date=2025-09-18}}</ref> Ethan Essner, writing for ''The Tufts Daily'' of Tufts University, described "Holy, Holy" as "one of the best new rock singles in years".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tuftsdaily.com/article/2024/09/geordie-greeps-holy-holy-is-a-gratifying-work-of-sound-and-vision|last=Essner|first=Ethan|title=Geordie Greep's 'Holy Holy' is a gratifying work of sound and vision|work=The Tufts Daily|date=2024-09-05|access-date=2025-09-18}}</ref> In her review of ''The New Sound'', Krysta Fauria of the Associated Press characterized "Holy, Holy" as "an all gas, no brakes musical trip across genre and around the world, that vacillates between euphoria and chaos".<ref name="AP" /> The website ''Beats Per Minute'' ranked "Holy, Holy" as the 42nd best song of 2024, with writer John Wohlmacher calling it "brilliant and as mean spirited as they come".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://beatsperminute.com/bpms-top-50-songs-of-2024/|last=Wohlmacher|first=John|title=BPM's Top 50 Songs of 2024|work=Beats Per Minute|date=2024-12-17|access-date=2025-09-20}}</ref>
George Ward, the online editor for ''Clunk Magazine'', favorably cited "Holy, Holy" as an example of Greep's "unrivalled storytelling", describing the song as "aggressive and confrontational" but also possessing lush and theatrical instrumentation, ultimately summarizing "Holy, Holy" as "one of the most ambitious beginnings to a solo career you'll ever hear".<ref name="Clunk" /> Robin Murray of ''Clash'' saw "Holy, Holy" as an "apt" beginning for Greep's solo career, combining "lingering shades" of Black Midi with "something different, something singular".<ref name="Clash" />
==Personnel== Credits are adapted from the liner notes of ''The New Sound''.<ref name="Liner" />
===Musicians=== * Geordie Greep – vocals, synthesizers, guitars, fretless bass guitar * Felix Gonzalez – backing vocals * Seth "Shank" Evans – backing vocals * Fabio Sá – bass guitar * Thiaguinho Silva – drums * Chicão Montorfano – electric piano * Dennys Silva – percussion * Deschanel Gordon – Bechstein piano * Diarra Walcot-Ivanhoe – Steinway piano * Deji Ijishakin – saxophone * Joe Bristow – trombone * Matt Seddon – trombone * Billy Rowlatt – trumpet * Freddie Wordsworth – trumpet
===Production=== * Seth "Shank" Evans – production * Geordie Greep – co–production, horn arrangements * Nathan Boddy – mastering, mixing * Rafa Barreto – engineering * Sid Souza – engineering * Thiago "Big" Rabello – engineering * Victor Neri – engineering * Simone Gallazio – engineering
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Black Midi}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:2024 singles Category:2024 songs Category:Rough Trade Records singles Category:British satirical songs Category:Latin rock songs