Lauded as “the future of retro rock” (CLASH Mag), Chicago-based Hollyy masterfully imparts a sound both grounded in youth and transcendent of it. Since the band’s inception in March 2020, this group of self-proclaimed “garage-soul boys” has released a collection of breezy singles, EPs and now are ready to unleash their debut full-length album, The Weight of This Heart.
Flaunting a signature combination of stirring vocals, jazzy instrumentals, and indie rock stylings, its no surprise that Hollyy has been likened “to such modern soul powerhouses like St. Paul and the Broken Bones” (Atwood Magazine). Aside from headlining their own live shows, Hollyy has opened for several prominent artists, including Jacob Banks, Jalen Ngonda, Lady Wray and Gwen Stefani.
Hollyy features the talents of Tanner Dane (vocals/guitar), Peter Giere (keyboard), Rafe Soto (drums), and Dominic Zeier (bass), Blase Cermak (trumpet) & Nate France (saxophone). And as American Songwriter puts it, “even the sharpest nose won’t find anything manufactured about their talent. They’re the real deal.”
Maximiano’s music is rarely about just one emotion, moment, or person. Their debut album, “The Real Truth,” instead explores the way that experience flows through periods of growth and change. The songs shimmer, echo, and glide through tales of memory and identity that Piet Levy of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel called “one of the most piercing and emotionally resonant collections of songs from a Milwaukee artist of the year… a towering achievement.”
The album, which Maximiano wrote, produced, arranged, recorded, and mixed, is adorned with a variety of sounds; piano, pedal steel, flute, clarinet, and more elevate the indie-folk core. With an all-star band of Milwaukee musicians (including members of Field Report, PHOX, Old Pup, and Ellie Jackson), the vulnerable americana-folk songs swell to cathartic, indie-rock peaks. Riding the waves of this folkestra, Maximiano sings tenderly but urgently about taking chances, missed opportunities, and reevaluating memories. The result is a flowing, expressive sound that, according to Erin Wolf, music director at 88.9 Radio Milwaukee, “captures the beauty that often comes from the newfound wisdom accrued in your stumbling, youngest years.”
“The Real Truth” is a lush, courageous, and ambitious first record from an artist poised to take up the lineage of earnest, folk-influenced singer-songwriters. Though their music will appeal to fans of Adrianne Lenker, Songs:Ohia, Sufjan Stevens, and Elliott Smith, the real truth is that there is no one quite like Maximiano.