For those not in the know, Homer Steinweiss, the Brooklyn based soul-funk drumming staple, always had a soft spot for folk music. Paul Spring, a young idealist folk singer traveling the country, always had a beautiful falsetto in his back pocket.

Little did these two know, when they met on a girlfriend’s family farm in central Minnesota, a musical journey would ensue in which traditions of folk and soul music could cross pollinate to form Holy Hive.

After enlisting a studio assistant named Joe Harrison to join the band on bass, a sound started to form — warm and pleasant like a riverside camp fire while steady and hypnotizing like a silent night train.

A year-long monthly residency of gigs at Sunny’s Bar in Brooklyn, and a couple years working together in a Queens recording studio amassed into collection of songs musing on love and loss with lyrics inspired by ancient Greek poetry, 19th century Irish ballads, and '60s soul music.

Gathering steady momentum from their spring 2019 Harping EP featuring Mary Lattimore and Sasami and a handful of 45rpm singles, Holy Hive’s debut album Float Back To You is being released on June 19th, 2020 via Big Crown Records.

1. 'Broom'
2. 'Hypnosis'
3. 'Blue Light'
4. 'Oh I Miss Her So '
5. 'Float Back To You'
6. 'Be Thou By My Side'
7. 'Didn't You Say'
8. 'Embers To Ashes'
9. 'Cynthia's Celebration'
10. 'Red Is The Rose'
11. 'You Will Always Be By My Side Forever'
12. 'Sophia's Part'

A melodic, lo-fi drum beat gentle introduces us to the dreamy '60s ambiance of 'Broom,' with the jangly guitar work of 'Hypnosis' (which also has a touch of a Marvin Gaye backbeat at times) and then the drum-led majesty of 'Blue Light' seamlessly following along.

When then get the summer's breeze of 'Oh I Miss Her So,' a track that showcases the vocal range of Spring just perfectly, with the resilient ambiance of the regulated musical heartbeat of the title track, 'Float Back To You' along next.

Some dulcet, yet orchestrated acoustic guitar work is found next in 'Be Thou By My Side' ("I've lived like a baker, but I've loved you like a King"), and that's backed by the funky, almost Motownesque 'Didn't You Say' and then the translucent 'Embers To Ashes.'

The instrumental 'Cynthia's Celebration' is a beautiful track that simply begs to be absorbed, and is backed by the western plains appeal of 'Red Is The Rose,' with the album rounding out with the earnest 'You Will Always Be By My Side Forever,' and coming to a close on the ethereally unwinding 'Sophia's Part.'

Unlike many bands of today, spending time with Holy Hive means you not only get to listen and enjoy their music at first blush, but after a few more listens, their layered musical creations reveal, one and all, a much deeper, and ultimately, profoundly soulful experience.

Official Purchase Links

www.HolyHiveMusic.com

Holy Hive @ Facebook