HOLY OTHER - Feel Something
Holy Other: With U [Tri-Angle]
Due to the ghostly vibes and his Tri Angle roster spot, Holy Other’s work is mistakenly cast as something gothic, dark, or due to be canonized in wing-ding letters in some infinitely vacuous witch house manifesto. In reality, this past year found the veiled Manchester producer offering something far different from those suspected shock and horror tropes: the romantic hybrid house of With U. Holy Other’s deep, disembodied vocals echo like distant memories as screwed orchestral swells and choral bass moans swallow them up. The atmosphere of yearning is palpable, whether for past love or new direction; the subdued lust of a simultaneously ravenous but tender one night stand looms over the hungry pleas of With U,especially in the meter- and momentum-shifting standout, “Touch.” Holy Other’s debut is a triumphant melding of R&B’s emotion, bass culture’s sensuality, and house’s heartbeat, and the result is one of the year’s most intimate albums. —Matt Sullivan
