Vlad Holiday conjures up grandiose turmoil on "This Was Always Gonna End"
Vlad Holiday shares the third single, “This Was Always Gonna End,” from his upcoming debut record My Favorite Drug. In the album’s opening track, Holiday conjures up a deserted, nostalgic landscape at a point of grandiose turmoil. Creating a starting point for an album meant to be listened to in order, inevitable loss from song to song feels prophesied, almost making death feel greater than life. But the listener won’t truly know where this journey concludes until the album is released in its entirety on November 15 via ONErpm — Pre-save My Favorite Drug / Listen to “This Was Always Gonna End.”
“This song is about one of my lowest moments, and the beginning of my mental health recovery,” shares Holiday. “My therapist at the time wasn't working, and the only thing that got me out alive was writing about what I was going through. I know it’s a heavy way to start an album but I wanted to be very open from the start. Looking back on it all now, I feel extremely lucky and hopeful that the worst is behind me.”
Born in Romania but now based in Nashville, Holiday’s ability to sonically shapeshift has taught him to see romance in all things melancholic. His downtempo, lo-fi inspired sound is bolstered by an affinity towards vintage microphones, tape machines and other antiquated recording equipment. Though he records and produces much of his music on his own, Holiday is no stranger to calling in collaboration at the correct moments.
After releasing music for years, Holiday never envisioned himself wanting to release a full-length album. But as he worked on the songs that now build out My Favorite Drug, the threads that held a larger story together couldn’t be ignored. Already off of the LP, he has released the sultry “I Don’t Wanna Party Anymore” featuring Kacey Musgraves and “Closer” which was co-written by Cage The Elephant’s Matt Shultz.
Kicking off next week, Holiday will join Declan McKenna on his North American tour. This follows his Austin City Limits debut last week and closely tails a summer tour run with Cage The Elephant, Young The Giant and Bakar, where he was praised for transporting listeners to a trance-like dream. See all upcoming show dates here and below.
UPCOMING TOUR DATES
October 15 - Port Chester, NY - The Capitol Theatre^
October 16 - Boston, MA - Roadrunner^
October 18 - Montreal, QC - Le Petit Olympia^
October 19 - Ottawa, CA - The Bronson Centre^
October 20 - Toronto, ON - HISTORY^
October 24 - Detroit, MI - Masonic Cathedral Theatre^
October 25 - Chicago, IL - Riviera Theatre^
October 28 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue^
October 29 - Madison, WI - The Sylvee^
November 6 - Grand Rapids, MI - Pyramid Scheme (headline)
November 7 - Indianapolis, IN - LO-FI Lounge (headline)
^ supporting Declan McKenna
Tour info here
ABOUT VLAD HOLIDAY:
Vlad Holiday has made a career of romanticizing the past, the human condition, and looking at love and relationships through dark-tinted lenses. With downtempo crooner tracks all tinged with melancholy, Holiday has built a sonic world of his own that tries to find comfort in accepting the darker moments in life. Having gained over 40 million streams as a completely independent artist, it seems as if he’s resonating with a subculture of people that are also trying to do the same.
Born in Bucharest, Romania, later having to flee to New York, and now based in Nashville, Holiday’s sound is heavily shaped by the weight of feeling like an outsider always on the move. Building the foundation of his music career with a downtown NYC lo-fi sound, he’s deeply indebted to his love for vintage microphones, tape machines and other old recording equipment; key elements of his signature sound and production style.
Now in Nashville, there’s an optimism to Holiday’s current chapter as he builds out his next body of work while collaborating with other artists in Music City. Most recently, he co-wrote Cage The Elephant’s “Neon Pill,” “Metaverse” and “Over Your Shoulder” before being joined by Kacey Musgraves on “I Don’t Wanna Party Anymore.” Ahead of his headline tour dates this summer, he joined Cage The Elephant on the road for their Neon Pill Tour. However bright the current moment may be, flecks of Holiday’s past always steep his music in a darkness that shows that he is a human in the middle of his journey.
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