Three years since their debut release and there might be a few people complaining that Holy State are the sort of band who will never make it. That instant hit, which makes everyone bubbling over with excitement and is then tempered when the sudden realisation is that just like everyone has a book in them, so every musician has a great tune in them. However, despite the three years since their birth, Holy State are starting 2012 with the release of Dial ‘M’ for Monolith which is a precursor to their debut album Electric Picture Palace; the latter destined for release at the end of April 2012.

Dial ‘M’ for Monolith begins with the chime of guitar and the sound of a chest being shut closed, before the band blow you off your feet as they slam into action. It’s all rapid guitars and drums with nice clear vocals that will appeal to those loving that post-punk vibe, in fact for a track that is only shy of three minutes long, there is still the opportunity for some less fuzzy sharpened guitar jabbing that then leads into a non-word vocal effect, which could have come from Leeds heavy weights the Kaiser Chiefs. The ending to Dial ‘M’ for Monolith is both abrupt and moreish. In fact that’s the whole point of this single release and the album sampler available on YouTube which just introduces snatches of what Holy State will be turning out on their debut album. If Dial ‘M’ for Monolith is a faithful glimpse of Electric Picture Palace, then those three years since that debut release have been usefully spent honing that Holy State sound.

Reviewed by Jimbo Walsh.

Single Dial 'M' for Monolith by Holy State is available from 30 January 2012 on Brew Records.

[UPDATE - video for Dial 'M' for Monolith added below - enjoy]

The video is a tribute to Stanley Kubrick's seminal work. 2001: A Space Odyssey. A pastiche of ideas and images recreated and retold in under three minutes with a stylised, hand-made aesthetic, all powered by Holy State's driving Soundtrack.