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“Can I Leave Me Too?” is the latest from Iowa based indie duo Holding Hour; made up of Marissa Kephart and Scott Yoshimura. ICYMI, the last time we covered HH was for another song off of this single, “Parallel Lines” (which we also thoroughly enjoyed, found here). Keeping up with their flare for all things shoegaze, the track is an amalgamation of the warm and fuzzies along with a noodling guitar that climbs around… Yet everything remains a simmer and never EXPLODES (but it really is the perfect temp, you can’t boil everything). Speaking to the track, the band had this to say: “[Can I Leave Me Too?]… explores the struggle of recognizing that you haven’t been a great partner without fully owning up to it. Set against the backdrop of what should be a warm, celebratory occasion—a birthday—the song highlights feelings of isolation and shame.” You can hear “Can[...]

“Come Undone” is the newest track from Iowa-based duo Holding Hour – made up of Marissa Kephart and Scott Yoshimura. We previously covered the other side of this single, “Parallel Lines” back in April here, and liked what we heard then (just as we do now). Kephart’s vocals really shine through in this guitar-heavy track, doubling down on the guitar and drums while leaving the synth in the backseat. It’s complete with a set of yearning lyrics that set off the dreamy flavors here perfectly – see below: “Say something sweet to me, I wanna hear my name inside your mouth, before you chew and spit it out” I really enjoyed how this track managed to feel straightforward yet intricate, with the guitars building over each stanza in a steady simmer but never boiling over. Fans of Slowdive or Snail Mail would find a lot to enjoy here, with the[...]

Holding Hour, the duo formerly known as Elison, is based out of Des Moines, Iowa and “Parallel Lines” is their latest. We’ve previously covered the band as Elison here at the Blog and we’re happy to report that we still enjoy what we’re hearing!  Made up of Marissa Kephart on guitar and vocals and Scott Yoshimura as producer and jack of all trades, Holding Hour finds that perfect balance betwixt shoegaze and dream pop… That can be difficult, but Holding Hour understood the assignment here. Warm guitars layered together produce a lovely sound that compliments Kephart’s vocals perfectly – ya know, that whole shoegazy thing where it all blends together. Speaking to the track, Kephart had this to say: “Parallel Lines’ is about the push and pull of relationships, the tension between two people who are close but over time slowly grow distant.” You can hear “Parallel Lines” on the[...]