At first it was that name that gave us cause for pause. However, by 2007, and with their second album LP, Holy Fuck had proven they had tunes as good as the language was bad. Expanded from original duo Brian Borcherdt and Graham Walsh to incorporate Matt Schulz and Matt McQuaid, Latin is the first recorded outing for the new formation.
Like the ghost in Lou Reed’s metal machine, they come rattling and clanking towards us on ‘1MD’, before ‘Red Lights’ lets loose an almighty, funk rhythm. From here on we are helpless, the quartet unleashing salvo after salvo of beat-seeking missiles, ‘Latin America’ fixing on its groove with unshakeable intent. ‘Stay Lit’ ebbs and flows with a gentle, almost meditative quality and ‘Silva & Grimes’, though starting slowly, races to the close with steroidal power, whilst ‘Stilettos’ proceeds full pelt from the get-go.
It’s this rhythmic intensity that makes Latin such an absorbing listen, the rather incongruous converging of modern electronica and primal beats adding up to a winning combination. On a record of myriad highs, it’s the final ‘P.I.G.S.’ that represents Holy Fuck’s very own Everest. Samples, loops and glitch-ridden beats surge together towards a magnificent crescendo. The only question: how can they possibly top it?