One of Australia’s best loved groups Holy Holy continue to push boundaries and defy categorisation with their dance-tinged new single ‘Pretend to Be’. It is the second taste of the forthcoming fifth album from the ARIA Double Platinum certified act, following their banger ‘Messed Up’ featuring rapper Kwame.
“We were going for a ‘sing-along in the amphitheatre of a huge festival’-type song”, says frontman Tim Carroll of the new single. “The chorus is a group-sung chant that feels good from the first time you hear it. This song was one of those rare ones where we had the chorus lyrics first – 'You are what you pretend to be’. I heard that somewhere and knew I wanted to make it a chorus.”
“It's a song about the two sides of that idea” adds Carroll.“ The first is the 'fake it till you make it’ idea; do something you don't know how to for long enough, and you eventually master it. You become, by pretending, the real thing.”
Characteristic of Holy Holy’s acclaimed multi-layered songwriting, the lyric is not quite as simple as it may seem once you scratch the surface. “It also has another side. A darker side. Sometimes, we might do things we know aren't right. And maybe we give ourselves this excuse, 'Oh, this isn't the real me. I'm just doing this now.' Well – you are what you pretend to be. You are the sum of your actions. So go carefully.”
Continuing their spirit of collaboration with artists across multiple genres, Carroll and Holy Holy guitarist/producer Oscar Dawson collaborated with Jack Glass, of Australian dance royalty Bag Raiders, on some of the song’s finer production elements, which Carroll says“ really gave the song some sparkle.”
With a reputation as one of Australia’s best live acts, Holy Holy recently debuted ‘Pretend To Be’ on their national headline tour to a rapturous response from fans. The song joins their growing catalogue of Platinum and Gold certified hits including True Lovers, Maybe You Know, Teach Me About Dying and Sentimental and Monday.
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