For fans of MTV’s “Engaged and Underage” the sounds of Holtz may be familiar. The four-piece band from Red Hook, New Jersey is an up-and-coming band that has many laudable features. The most intriguing is their lead singer Andrew Holtz, who, while no Pavarotti, is able to express joy and frustration in a way that propels many of his songs.
Holtz’s first album “Leaving New York” is, in many ways, an ode to that city. Whether it is capturing the whirlwind pace of the city that never sleeps or reflecting on lost love by ruminating about running away from New York, the city is very much present on the album. And Holtz is able to capture this in a very enjoyable way.
Even though some of their songs fall victim to a formulaic sound, their debut is surprisingly strong for a new band. Holtz already shows strong song-writing ability with songs like “Leaving New York,” “Almost Home” and “Emily” and has the markers of a promising future. He is also able to compose lyrics that are sweet at moments, and full of melancholy at others. Lyrics like “I don’t blame her for crying / We’ve seen better days /If I say sorry / Would anything change?” show a knack for emotive songwriting. And even though at points the lyrics can be a bit raw, there are extremely strong moments.
For a band that is still strongly within the college circuit, Holtz sounds very mature and capable. Their melodic pop-punk has already landed them the ability to play with the likes of The Spin Doctors, Wyclef Jean and Vanessa Carelton. Unfortunately, because they are still a band developing a following, they are not coming to St. Louis anytime soon. But, if you are on the East Coast, it is definitely worth checking them out.