Holychild
{{Short description|2010s American indie pop band}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2021}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Holychild
| image = HOLYCHILD 2015.jpg
| image_upright = 1.2
| caption = Holychild performing at Lollapalooza 2015
| origin = Los Angeles, California, U.S.
| genre = {{flatlist|
- Indie pop{{cite web|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop-shop/5755461/meet-holychild-your-new-indie-pop-obsession|title=Meet Holychild, Your New Indie-Pop Obsession|accessdate=June 3, 2015|publisher=Billboard|date=October 14, 2013|author=Lipshutz, Jason}}
- synthpop{{cite web|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop-shop/6480302/holychild-debut-album-shape-of-brat-pop-to-come-glassnote|title=Holychild Announce Debut Album via Glassnote Records & Tour With Passion Pit|accessdate=June 3, 2015|publisher=Billboard|date=February 23, 2015|author=Brown, Harley}}
- electropop{{cite web|url=http://www.nylon.com/articles/song-premiere-holychild-money-all-around|title=Song Premiere: Holychild's 'Money All Around'|accessdate=June 3, 2015|publisher=NYLON|date=April 21, 2015|author=Barna, Ben}}{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/holychild-mn0003230750/biography|title=Holychild|accessdate=June 3, 2015|publisher=Allmusic|date=April 21, 2015|author=Collar, Matt}}
- indietronica
- Brat Pop l= "HOLYCHILD: Brat Pop for the Masses" >{{cite web|url=http://www.spin.com/2015/05/holychild-shape-of-brat-pop-to-come-all-eyes-on/
|title=HOLYCHILD: Brat Pop for the Masses
|date=May 20, 2015
}}
}}
| years_active = 2012–2020
| label = Glassnote Records
| website = {{URL|1=https://web.archive.org/web/20191120221741/https://www.holychildmusic.com/|2=holychildmusic.com}} (archived at Wayback Machine)
| current_members = Liz Nistico
Louie Diller
| past_members =
}}
Holychild (stylized as HOLYCHILD) was an American indie pop duo from Los Angeles, California. The band consists of songwriter and vocalist Liz Nistico and producer and multi-instrumentalist Louie Diller, though they often play with more musicians for their live show. The band signed to Glassnote Records in 2013,{{cite web|url=http://glassnotemusic.com/holychildsigning|title=Glassnote Records|work=Glassnotemusic.com|accessdate=March 23, 2015}} and define their genre as "brat pop". Holychild released their full-length debut album The Shape of Brat Pop to Come in 2015. After a two-year hiatus, the band broke their silence with four singles in 2018.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/holychild-price-art-brutally-honest-2371381|title=LA indie-pop duo Holychild are discovering the price of art with brutally honest but vital songs - NME|date=August 28, 2018|work=NME|access-date=November 14, 2018|language=en-US}}{{Cite news|url=https://twitter.com/HOLYCHILD/status/1061752292595003392|title=HOLYCHILD on Twitter|work=Twitter|access-date=November 14, 2018|language=en}} Their second studio album, The Theatrical Death of Julie Delicious, was released in 2019.{{cite web |last1=HOLYCHILD |title=Our sophomore album, The Theatrical Death of Julie Delicious, will be out November 8!!!! We will be doing ONE intimate show this year in LA to celebrate, link in bio. Cannot wait for you guys to hear this!!! |url=https://www.instagram.com/p/B3m5e1Fgvmy/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/s/instagram/B3m5e1Fgvmy |archive-date=December 26, 2021 |url-access=registration|website=Instagram |accessdate=October 17, 2019 |date=October 15, 2019}}{{cbignore}}
The duo disbanded in 2020, citing a desire to work on solo projects.{{Cite web|url=https://barricademagazine.com/rail/life-after-immortality-the-theatrical-death-of-holychild|title=Life After Immortality: The Theatrical Death of Holychild — Barricade Magazine}}{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Diller now works as a producer, while Nistico releases music under the name Revenge Wife.
History
=Formation (2012)=
HOLYCHILD formed in college at George Washington University in D.C., where Diller was the musical accompanist for Nistico's modern dance class in 2011. The two were drawn to each other's creativity and abilities. In 2011 they spent a summer together writing and making music until Nistico moved to Brooklyn and Diller stayed in DC. In 2012 Diller convinced Nistico to move back to Washington, DC to record their songs and start a band. They formed HOLYCHILD and moved to L.A. in September 2012. Their initial focus was on music, songs, production and visual accompaniments. The two started performing in early 2013.{{cite web|url= http://holychildmusic.com/connect|accessdate=August 8, 2016|title=Connect!}}
=''Mindspeak''=
The duo found early success in 2013 through "Happy With Me", a fierce challenge to media images that received more than 100,000 plays in just one week and placing #1 on Hype Machine's Popular Charts. The band continues to receive local and national support, with Nylon Magazine describing the track as "mind-blowingly addictive,"{{cite web|url=http://www.nylon.com/articles/holychild|title=Holychild - NYLON MAGAZINE|work=Nylon.com|accessdate=March 23, 2015|date=September 24, 2013}} Billboard grouping them in their annual "14 artists to watch in 2014",{{cite web|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop-shop/5869525/14-artists-to-watch-in-2014|title=14 Artists to Watch in 2014|work=Billboard.com|accessdate=March 23, 2015}} and LA Weekly naming HOLYCHILD "one of the ten LA bands who are going to blow up in 2014."{{cite web|url=http://www.laweekly.com/music/10-la-bands-who-will-blow-up-in-2014-4255586|title=10 L.A. Bands Who Will Blow Up in 2014|author=Molly Bergen|work=LA Weekly|accessdate=March 23, 2015|date=January 2, 2014}}
In 2014, the duo was an opening act for Danish singer MØ.
Produced by Louie Diller, HOLYCHILD's debut EP, Mindspeak, was released in March 2014 through Glassnote, accompanied by a short film directed by Nistico.
=''The Shape of Brat Pop to Come''=
Their first full-length debut album The Shape of Brat Pop to Come was released in June 2015 on Glassnote.{{cite web |author= |url=http://glassnotemusic.com/post/111878227429/holychild-announced-their-debut-album-and-tour |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150228085652/http://glassnotemusic.com/post/111878227429/holychild-announced-their-debut-album-and-tour |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 28, 2015 |title=HOLYCHILD announced their debut album and tour... | Glassnote Records |publisher=Glassnotemusic.com |date= |accessdate=July 3, 2015 }} Diller co-produced the LP with Grammy-nominated producers Greg Wells (Katy Perry, Adele) and Cian Riordan (5 Seconds of Summer, Keith Urban). The first single "Running Behind" appears on the global Apple Watch commercial.{{cite web|last=Nudd |first=Tim |url=http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/apple-watch-may-be-future-its-first-tv-ad-borrows-past-163367 |title=Apple Watch May Be the Future, but Its First TV Ad Borrows From the Past |publisher=Adweek.com |date=March 9, 2015 |accessdate=July 3, 2015}}
=''America Oil Lamb'' (EP)=
In June 2016, the duo released a collab EP on Glassnote Records. The single, Rotten Teeth, was released in May 2016 accompanied by a music video directed by Nistico and featuring drag queens and famous Mexican reality and YouTube stars. The EP itself features collaborations with Kate Nash, RAC, Tkay Maidza, Mereki, MS MR, and Kitten.{{cite web|date=May 31, 2016|title=HOLYCHILD Announce New EP with Wild 'Rotten Teeth' Music Video|url=http://www.spin.com/2016/05/holychild-rotten-teeth-kate-nash-new-song-music-video-ep-watch|accessdate=August 8, 2016}} "We felt we could stretch more on this record, since each song is a collaboration," Diller said about the release. "It was fun to explore and show different sides of us on the EP…I think Liz's voice and me producing/mixing most everything helps tie it together though, so there's still a HOLYCHILD vibe."
= Return from hiatus (2018) =
After a two-year hiatus, HOLYCHILD began releasing new music in 2018 starting with Wishing You Away in July.{{Cite news|url=http://www.papermag.com/holychild-premiere-2587569966.html|title=We Would Never Wish HOLYCHILD Away|date=July 17, 2018|work=PAPER|access-date=November 14, 2018|language=en}} The single, which dealt with domestic abuse in Nistico's childhood, started a trend of personal song topics for the band. Hundred Thousand Hearts is a love song, Carmelo is a song about sexual assault, and Bathroom Bitch is a provocative, feminist anthem about sex.{{Cite news|url=https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/new-music/discovery/holychild-hundred-thousand-hearts|title=HOLYCHILD's "Hundred Thousand Hearts" is completely bonkers, but rather brilliant|work=The Line of Best Fit|access-date=November 14, 2018|language=en}}{{Cite news|url=https://glassnotemusic.com/holychild-release-new-single-carmelo-accompanying-music-video/|title=HOLYCHILD Releases New Single "Carmelo" With Accompanying Music Video - Glassnote Records|date=October 19, 2018|work=Glassnote Records|access-date=November 14, 2018|language=en-US}}{{Cite news|url=https://nylon.com/articles/soundcheck-11-10-2018|title=Soundcheck: The 13 Best Music Releases Of The Week|date=November 10, 2018|work=NYLON|access-date=November 14, 2018|language=en}} On September 5, 2019 they released Over You, a song with new sonic elements that had been in production for several years.
= ''The Theatrical Death of Julie Delicious'' =
On October 15, 2019, the band announced that their second studio album, The Theatrical Death of Julie Delicious, will be released on November 8, 2019. On October 24, 2019 they released Raining Romance, the fifth single from their upcoming album. The album is ten tracks long featuring five new tracks: Number One, Haunt Me in the Night, Fight For Me, Patron Saint and Saturday.
=Indefinite hiatus=
On December 18, 2019, the duo announced on social media that their upcoming tour would be their final performances for an "indefinite period of time."{{cite tweet|number=1207391435856764930|user=HOLYCHILD|title=Hi you guys, the tour we’re doing in February will be the ONLY shows we’ll be doing for an indefinite period of tim… |date=December 18, 2019}} Nistico stated: "We're both working and collaborating together on our solo stuff -- we don't know when we will do stuff together again, but I'm sure we will."
References
{{reflist}}