Introducing Holiday Murray

Pic: Luca Vincenzo

"With music you need no words. There is a sense of wonder that removes the necessity to think when you listen to music. It is all one amazing feeling.” - Justin Davenport, guitar/vocals

With their self-titled debut album it is clear that Holiday Murray represents a break - and stands apart from - anything else currently served up on the local music scene. Produced by Teejay Terblanche at Coffee Stained Vinyl Studios in Cape Town and mastered by Ed Brooks at RFI in Seattle, the 10-track album offers a true representation of the band's wide-ranging influences and diverse musical backgrounds.

“The four of us are drawn along by the music while playing, rather than driving it… this is the most appealing part of performing for me, being in control of something that is in control of you.” - James Tuft, lead vocals/guitar

The Cape Tonian folk-rock foursome intertwine light and breezy tunes with hard-hitting lyrics, while dreamy harmonies and philosophical musings merge to lift listeners to a place where everything feels just that little bit lighter. From start to end the lyrically rich album journeys through a spectrum of feeling, taking the listener along on an evocative and often metaphorical journey, with moods ranging from joyous to reflective, cynical to hopeful.

Simultaneously peaceful and joyful, the harmony-rich vocals, unusual arrangements and innovative choice of instruments give each song on the album a unique feel. Yet all the tracks fit together to form a tight and thematically cohesive whole.

The first single off the album, Jirey is an instant mood brightener, and already a favourite among Holiday Murray’s ever-growing fan base. As the ten songs come to a close, The Sea Finds Me bears testimony to the depths the album stretches to, as haunting vocals and powerful sentiments round off the whole with an ending that resonates in your inner ear long after the music has stopped.

Holiday Murray brings back memories of easier times and days that seemed to last forever. It is a worthy debut, an authentic and unique listening experience, and a finely-crafted showcase of Holiday Murray’s considerable musical talent and South Africa’s young talent in general.

“The name Holiday Murray was not pre-meditated. It is the name given to a figurehead and a friend, one is wooden and one is human.  It has come to represent a fifth element in the band, an invisible part of our sound. The name speaks for itself and best describes why we play our music.”