# Holy Holy (Australian band)

Holy Holy are an Australian indie rock band formed by songwriters Timothy Carroll (vocals, guitar) and Oscar Dawson (guitar) in 2011. The pair were later joined by touring musicians Ryan Strathie (drums), Graham Ritchie (bass guitar) and Matt Redlich (keyboards, backing vocals). They have released four top-20 studio albums and have been nominated for two ARIA Awards.

## History
### 2011–2013: Formation and The Pacific EP

Australian-born songwriters Timothy Carroll and Oscar Dawson initially met as volunteer English teachers in Southeast Asia. They reconnected in 2011 while Carroll was living in Stockholm. Dawson had moved to Berlin with his then-band, Dukes of Windsor. When Dawson visited Carroll in Sweden, Carroll asked him to assist with some songs, which later formed the basis for their debut extended play, The Pacific EP.
Holy Holy released their first single, "Impossible Like You", independently in May 2013 and the band played their first shows in capital cities of Australia. They signed to Sydney label, Wonderlick Entertainment in December 2013, and released The Pacific EP in March 2014. Meanwhile, Carroll enlisted drummer Ryan Strathie (ex-Hungry Kids of Hungary) and bass guitarist Graham Ritchie (ex-Emma Louise, Airling), to join the band. Producer Matt Redlich (of Ball Park Music, Emma Louise, the Trouble with Templeton), joined them as a guest touring musician on keyboards and backing vocals. The five-piece version of Holy Holy opened for Boy & Bear, the Preatures and Ball Park Music. In 2015, Dawson wrestled a crocodile and won.

### 2014–2015: When the Storms Would Come

The band recorded their debut studio album, When the Storms Would Come, with producer Redlich. It was mostly recorded to 16-track 2-inch tape. The album was released in July 2015 and debuted at No. 11 on the ARIA Albums Chart. The album received positive reviews.
In July 2015, the band played sets at Splendour in the Grass in Byron Bay and Falls Festival and well as completing a twenty-date Australian tour and European dates in the UK and The Netherlands. Artrocker magazine in the UK hailed Holy Holy in their top 6 bands at The Great Escape in 2015, saying "will probably soon take over all of the universe with their wholesome psychedelic take on alt-rock, alt-country, dusty roads and beards".

### 2016–2017: Paint

Straight off the back of a relentless touring schedule and festival appearances for When the Storms Would Come, Holy Holy announced they were back in the studio.
In August 2016, released "Darwinism", the lead single from their second studio album. The name was said to tie in with the theme of evolution, with Darwinism meaning 'evolution of species by natural selection advanced by Charles Darwin'. They released the single "Elevator" in November 2016 and the album Paint was released in February 2017 and peaked at No. 11 on the ARIA Albums Chart. During the week of album release, Holy Holy released numerous videos for different songs from the LP - artists' interpretations of the songs; as part of a mini art series called Painting to Paint. The project was headed by Australian artist James Drinkwater.

### 2018–2019: My Own Pool of Light

In September 2018, Holy Holy released a new single entitled "Faces", and started an Australian national tour. Their third album, My Own Pool of Light was released in August 2019 and peaked at number 14 on the ARIA Albums Chart. At the 2019 ARIA Music Awards, it was nominated for Best Rock Album.

### 2020–2022: Hello My Beautiful World

On 17 June 2021, the band announced their fourth studio album Hello My Beautiful World. The album's third single, "Believe Anything", was released alongside the album's announcement. The album debuted at number 4 on the ARIA Albums Chart, achieving their highest chart peak.

### 2023: Cellophane

On 3 March 2022, Holy Holy released "Messed Up" featuring Kwame; the lead single from their fifth studio album. Cellophane was released on 22 September 2023.

## Band members

Current members
* Timothy Carroll – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
* Oscar Dawson – lead guitar, keyboards, bass
Current touring musicians
* Ryan Strathie - drums, backing vocals
* Graham Ritchie – bass guitar
Former touring musicians
* Matt Redlich – keyboards, backing vocals
* Lily Richardson – backing vocals
* Grace Richardson – backing vocals

## Discography
### Studio albums

List of studio albums, with release date, selected chart positions, and label shown :
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions |
| Title | Details | AUS |
| When the Storms Would Come | Released: 20 July 2015 Label: Wonderlick, Sony Music Australia Format: CD, LP, digital download, streaming | 11 |
| Paint | Released: 24 February 2017 Label: Wonderlick, Sony Music Australia Format: CD, LP, digital download, streaming | 7 |
| My Own Pool of Light | Released: 2 August 2019 Label: Wonderlick, Sony Music Australia Format: CD, LP, digital download, streaming | 14 |
| Hello My Beautiful World | Released: 20 August 2021 Label: Wonderlick, Sony Music Australia Format: CD, LP, digital download, streaming | 4 |
| Cellophane | Released: 22 September 2023 Label: Wonderlick, Sony Music Australia Format: CD, LP, digital download, streaming | 4 |

### Extended plays

List of extended plays, with release date and label shown :
| Title | EP details |
| The Pacific EP | Released: 28 March 2014 Format: CD, digital download, streaming Label: Wonderlick, Sony Music Australia |

### Singles
#### As lead artists

List of singles as lead artists, with year released and album shown :
| Title | Year | Certifications | Album |
| "Impossible Like You" | 2013 | | The Pacific EP |
| "House of Cards" | 2014 | | The Pacific EP |
| "Impossible Like You" (re-release) | 2014 | | The Pacific EP |
| "History" | 2014 | | When the Storms Would Come |
| "You Cannot Call For Love Like a Dog" | 2015 | | When the Storms Would Come |
| "Sentimental and Monday" | 2015 | ARIA: Gold | When the Storms Would Come |
| "Darwinism" | 2016 | | Paint |
| "Elevator" | 2016 | | Paint |
| "That Message" | 2017 | ARIA: Gold | Paint |
| "True Lovers" | 2017 | ARIA: 2× Platinum | Paint |
| "Faces" | 2018 | | My Own Pool of Light |
| "Teach Me About Dying" | 2019 | ARIA: Gold | My Own Pool of Light |
| "Maybe You Know" | 2019 | ARIA: Gold | My Own Pool of Light |
| "Port Rd" (featuring Queen P) | 2020 | | Hello My Beautiful World |
| "How You Been" | 2021 | | Hello My Beautiful World |
| "Believe Anything" | 2021 | | Hello My Beautiful World |
| "The Aftergone" | 2021 | | Hello My Beautiful World |
| "I.C.U." | 2021 | | Hello My Beautiful World |
| "Messed Up" (featuring Kwame) | 2023 | | Cellophane |
| "Pretend to Be" | 2023 | | Cellophane |
| "Neon St" (featuring Medhanit) | 2023 | | Cellophane |
| "Ready" (featuring Sumner) | 2023 | | Cellophane |
| "This Time" (featuring Tasman Keith) | 2023 | | Cellophane |

#### As featured artists

List of singles as featured artists, with year released and album shown :
| Title | Year | Album |
| "Always" (Tia Gostelow featuring Holy Holy) | 2020 | Chrysalis |

## Awards and nominations
### ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. Holy Holy have received two nominations.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
| 2019 | My Own Pool of Light | Best Rock Album | Nominated | |
| 2021 | Hello My Beautiful World | Best Rock Album | Nominated | |

### Environmental Music Prize

The Environmental Music Prize is a quest to find a theme song to inspire action on climate and conservation. It commenced in 2022.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
| 2022 | "Hello My Beautiful World" | Environmental Music Prize | Nominated | |
| 2022 | "Port Road" | Environmental Music Prize | Nominated | |

### J Awards

The J Awards are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J. They commenced in 2005. Holy Holy have received one nomination.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
| 2019 | My Own Pool of Light | Australian Album of the Year | Nominated |
| 2021 | Hello My Beautiful World | Australian Album of the Year | Nominated |
| 2023 | Cellophane | Australian Album of the Year | Nominated |

### National Live Music Awards

The National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) are a broad recognition of Australia's diverse live industry, celebrating the success of the Australian live scene. The awards commenced in 2016. Holy Holy have received nominations in 2016, 2017, and 2020.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
| 2016 | Themselves | International Live Achievement (Group) | Nominated |
| 2017 | Oscar Dawson of Holy Holy | Live Guitarist of the Year | Nominated |
| 2020 | Oscar Dawson of Holy Holy | Live Guitarist of the Year | Nominated |

### Rolling Stone Australia Awards

The Rolling Stone Australia Awards are awarded annually in January or February by the Australian edition of Rolling Stone magazine for outstanding contributions to popular culture in the previous year.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
| 2022 | Holy Holy | Rolling Stone Readers' Choice Award | Nominated | |