Kevin Holliday - LADYBUG (2024)

Kevin Holliday begins his latest album, LADYBUG, at wit’s end: “Sometimes I fucking hate you,” he sings, before concluding, “I couldn’t be what you want me to be.” So far, breakup ballad 101. But Holliday doesn’t let himself off the hook that easily: as the sashaying funk of opener “BEST FRIEND/SWEET” nears its conclusion, Holliday cedes the spotlight to his ex, who fires back at him: “So…do you really hate me?” forcing him to admit, “Well, sometimes. But sometimes I hate myself.” That volley sets the tone for LADYBUG, a batch of crisp, bright R&B songs that explore the ups and downs of love, all handled with a personal touch. Holliday fills his songs with details that make them feel lived in. On album highlight “Little Yellow Bus”—which, with its warped 4-track acoustic guitar, recalls Headphone Masterpiece-era Cody ChesnuTT—Holliday dreams of using the titular vehicle to “go back in time/ and stop myself from loving you.” But the way he sings it, the choice of transportation seems specific—a kind of code between Holliday and the person he’s singing to. In and out in 29 minutes, the album doesn’t dawdle, but still finds room for disco-soul (“What You’re Looking For”), electro-funk (“Brown Eyes”), and loads more. It announces Holliday as a musical omnivore, whose nuanced view of love is complemented by an equally eclectic taste in music. It’s payoff after payoff, and makes you hope that with his next outing, Holliday sticks around for at least a few minutes longer.



Tracklist:
1.01 - Kevin Holliday - BEST FRIEND/SWEEEEET (Side A) (3:40)
1.02 - Kevin Holliday - I WANT YOU (3:22)
1.03 - Kevin Holliday - BROWN EYES (3:20)
1.04 - Kevin Holliday - ALL I DO (3:42)
1.05 - Kevin Holliday - SEE YOU (2:36)
1.06 - Kevin Holliday - WHAT YOU WANNA DO? (Side B) (2:48)
1.07 - Kevin Holliday - HIGH & LOW (3:16)
1.08 - Kevin Holliday - LITTLE YELLOW BUS (3:20)
1.09 - Kevin Holliday - LOOK!!!!!! (0:38)
1.10 - Kevin Holliday - WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR? (2:44)