Holy Wave

Born in El Paso, Texas before relocating to Austin, Holy Wave has been operating since the early 2010s within the wake of the Texas psychedelic scene. The group, organized as a five-piece, cultivates a sound that blends psychedelic rock, dream pop, shoegaze and touches of krautrock, frequently built around reverberant guitars, hazy keyboards and relaxed tempos. Holy Wave first issued several EPs and cassettes, then refined this language on the albums Relax (2014) and Freaks of Nurture (2016), before continuing with Interloper (2020) and Five of Cups (2023). Associated with the label The Reverberation Appreciation Society, Holy Wave is part of a network linked to Austin Psych Fest—later Levitation—while maintaining a melodic songwriting approach that sets them apart from more upfront psych rock. Both live and in the studio, Holy Wave favors drifting atmospheres, restrained vocals and a cyclical approach to songs, situated between hallucinatory pop, hypnotic textures and American indie rock.