Premiere: Holden McRae Finds The Sweet Balance of Rock and Pop with “Alix”

 
 
 

IT JUST TAKES A FEW MOMENTS AND A KILLER GUITAR INTRODUCTION TO FEEL THE ENERGY OF “ALIX” - Holden McRae’s latest track highlights his ability to balance sweet, heartfelt lyrics with edgy instrumentals. The track quickly packs a punch and immediately grasps the listener’s attention thanks to the stronghold of the guitar riffs created by McRae and his producer Truman. Still experimenting with his style, the artist is honing in on a Pop influenced flow with just enough Rock to it for a energetic edge.

Currently working on his debut EP, McRae has kept a busy pace this Fall and won’t be slowing down in 2022. Previously we’ve heard “To Forgive”, which served as a charming introduction to McRae’s heartwarming lyricism. “Alix” finds itself at the intersection of a sweet love song about McRae’s girlfriend and high energy, feel good rock song.

As the year winds down, McRae already has his early 2022 mapped out, with a show on January 10th at the Moroccan Lounge in Los Angeles slotted to kick the year off strong. Read below to hear our premiere of “Alix” and learn more about the track.

LUNA: Can you take us through the creative process of making "Alix"?

MCRAE: Definitely! Content wise, I knew from the start I wanted the song to be an upbeat light hearted love song about my girlfriend as a nice change up to the songs about imaginary heartbreak that I started writing at around 15. I also had this vision in my head about the song being super high energy and especially fun to play live with a band. From there, I wrote on the hook, created some guitar riffs initially on my own and ultimately my producer Truman, and then after taking my time with the second verse the song was complete!

LUNA: What lyrics are you most proud of from the track?

MCRAE I’m extremely proud of the second verse, particularly the second half of it (“I really thought I had lost in September/my heart to a blender/poured it in a cup/ baby drink it up”). In addition to the fact that this section took me the longest to write, I really love the images I choose to illuminate how it feels when, for the first time, the possibility of losing someone feels extremely real.

LUNA: How would you compare the feel of this song to upcoming music?

MCRAE: I’ve been writing in a couple different genres of music lately, but I really enjoy writing these types of songs. I can definitely say there will be more songs with this sort of upbeat pop vibe with a little bit of rock/indie rock influence on the way!

LUNA: Any plans for early 2022 we can know about?

MCRAE: I have a show on January 10th at the Moroccan Lounge which I’m super excited about! I’m also working on an EP right now that I’m hoping to release pretty early on in 2022 as well. In addition to more music solo projects, there may also be some music videos in the works as well as some really cool collaborations!

LUNA: What intentions do you have for the final few weeks of 2021?

MCRAE: In the final weeks of 2021 I plan on relaxing, writing, and spending time with my family. This past semester of school has definitely been pretty busy so I’m looking forward to enjoying this break!

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