Holy Holy are an Australian

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...

band formed by songwriters Timothy Carroll (vocals, rhythm guitar) and Oscar Dawson (lead guitar) in 2011. The pair were later joined by session and touring musicians Ryan Strathie (drums) and Graham Ritchie (bass guitar). They have released six studio albums and have been nominated for two

ARIA Awards The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...

. In 2025, the band announced that they would go on an indefinate hiatus.

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 Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

. Dawson had moved to

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

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 Hungry Kids of Hungary (often shortened to HKOH) were an Australian four-piece indie pop band from Brisbane, Queensland. The band consisted of Dean McGrath (lead vocals, guitar), Kane Mazlin (lead vocals, keys), Ben Dalton (bass guitar, vocals ...

) and bass guitarist Graham Ritchie (ex- Emma Louise, Airling), to join the band. Producer Matt Redlich (of

Ball Park Music Ball Park Music is an Australian five-piece indie rock band from Brisbane consisting of Sam Cromack, Jennifer Boyce, Paul Furness, Dean Hanson and Daniel Hanson. Since forming in 2008, the band has released eight studio albums. Their debut, '' ...

, 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 Boy & Bear are an Australian indie folk band formed in 2009, consisting of David Hosking (vocals and guitar), Killian Gavin (vocals and guitar), Tim Hart (drums, vocals, banjo, mandolin), Jonathan Hart (keys, synths, vocals), and David Symes ( ...

the Preatures The Preatures are an Australian indie rock band from Sydney, New South Wales, who formed in 2010 and disbanded in 2021. The band consisted of lead vocalist and keyboardist Isabella Manfredi, Isabella "Izzi" Manfredi, guitarist and vocalist Jac ...

and Ball Park Music. In 2015, Dawson wrestled a

crocodile Crocodiles (family (biology), family Crocodylidae) or true crocodiles are large, semiaquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. The term "crocodile" is sometimes used more loosely to include ...

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 ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

. The album received positive reviews. In July 2015, the band played sets at

Splendour in the Grass Splendour in the Grass (commonly referred to as Splendour) is an annual Australian music festival held at the North Byron Parklands in Yelgun, New South Wales. Since its inauguration, the festival has also been held in various locations near ...

Byron Bay Byron Bay ( Minjungbal: ''Cavvanbah'') is a beachside town located in the far-northeastern corner of New South Wales, Australia (in Bundjalung Country). It is located north of Sydney and south of Brisbane. Cape Byron, a headland adjac ...

and

Falls Festival Falls Music & Arts Festival (commonly known as Falls) is a multi-day music festival held annually in Byron Bay (New South Wales) and Fremantle (Western Australia), Australia over the New Year's Eve and January period. The festival hosts contem ...

and well as completing a twenty-date Australian tour and European dates in the UK and The Netherlands. ''

Artrocker Artrocker is a UK-based collective involved in music promotion and publishing. It was started by Paul Cox and Tom Fawcett who had been co-promoters of a London night called The Sausage Machine. Having started life with an online newsletter and ev ...

'' 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 Paint is a material or mixture that, when applied to a solid material and allowed to dry, adds a film-like layer. As art, this is used to create an image or images known as a painting. Paint can be made in many colors and types. Most paints are ...

'' was released in February 2017 and peaked at No. 11 on the

. 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 ''My Own Pool of Light'' is the third studio album by indie rock band Holy Holy, released on 2 August 2019. The album debuted and peaked at number 14 on the ARIA Albums Chart. It was the first album self-produced by the band. In an interview wi ...

'' 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

, achieving their highest chart peak.

2023–2025: ''Cellophane'', ''Sweet Bitter Sweet'' and hiatus

On 3 March 2022, Holy Holy released "Messed Up" featuring Kwame; the lead single from their fifth studio album. ''

Cellophane Cellophane is a thin, transparent sheet made of regenerated cellulose. Its low permeability to air, oils, greases, bacteria, and liquid water makes it useful for food packaging. Cellophane is highly permeable to water vapour, but may be coate ...

'' was released on 22 September 2023. In April 2025, Holy Holy announced the release of '' Sweet Bitter Sweet'' before an Australian farewell tour in May and June 2025, before a hiatus.

Band members

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

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

Extended plays

Singles

As lead artists

As featured artists

Awards and nominations

ARIA Music Awards

The

ARIA Music Awards The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...

is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of

Australian music The music of Australia has an extensive history made of music societies. Indigenous Australian music forms a significant part of the unique heritage of a 40,000- to 60,000-year history which produced the iconic didgeridoo. Contemporary fusions o ...

. Holy Holy have received two nominations. ! , - ! scope="row",

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

, ''

'' , Best Rock Album , , , - ! scope="row",

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

, ''Hello My Beautiful World'' , Best Rock Album , ,

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. ! , - , rowspan="2", 2022 , "Hello My Beautiful World" , rowspan="2", Environmental Music Prize , , rowspan="2", , - , "Port Road" , , -

J Awards

The

J Awards The J Awards are an annual series of Australian music awards, established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J, and which also extend to sister stations, Triple J Unearthed and Double J. The awar ...

are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and is administered by a government-appointed board of directors. The ABC is ...

's youth-focused radio station

Triple J Triple J is an Australian government-funded national radio station founded in 1975 as a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). It aims to appeal to young listeners of alternative music, and plays far more Australian conten ...

. They commenced in 2005. Holy Holy have received one nomination. ! , - ! scope="row",

, ''My Own Pool of Light'' , Australian Album of the Year , , , - ! scope="row",

, ''Hello My Beautiful World'' , Australian Album of the Year , , , - ! scope="row",

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

, ''Cellophane'' , Australian Album of the Year , ,

National Live Music Awards

The

National Live Music Awards The National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) are annual Australian music awards, established by Heath Media in 2016. They were preceded by the AU Live Music Awards in the previous two years. The awards are given in categories that recognise the best ...

(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. ! , - ! scope="row",

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

, Themselves , International Live Achievement (Group) , , , - ! scope="row",

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

, rowspan="2", Oscar Dawson of Holy Holy , Live Guitarist of the Year , , , - ! scope="row",

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

, Live Guitarist of the Year , ,

Rolling Stone Australia Awards

The

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. The awards initially commenced i ...

are awarded annually in January or February by the Australian edition of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' magazine for outstanding contributions to popular culture in the previous year. ! , - , 2022 , Holy Holy , Rolling Stone Readers' Choice Award , , , -

References

External links

* {{Authority control 2011 establishments in Australia Australian indie pop groups Australian indie rock groups Musical groups established in 2011 Sony Music Australia artists