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PREMIERE: The Sand Dollars are quick on the draw with Holster

It wasn’t too long ago that Melbourne’s The Sand Dollars were having fun with the guitar banger of a single Sour Face. A track led by strutting guitars and a melody that screamed summer vibes, it was a good way for the band to kick off their 2015. It’s been a couple of months between drinks since then but now we have a pretty new ditty from the four-piece in the form of Holster.

The Sand Dollars indie rock

Quicker on the draw than The Man With No Name, The Sand Dollars are back with Holster.

From the get-go those six strings breeze onto the scene with laid back ease, like a lone desperado wandering into a frontier town. Which is unsurprising given the origins of the track, as the band say “Holster came about after the band went through a real phase of watching Western films and eating spaghetti. We thought this would inspire us to write a Spaghetti Western style song, but we ended up with Holster instead“.

The guitars flutter with a sense of excitement while still maintaining a cool exterior. Unlike Sour Face, Holster never sees the guitars take the lead. They dance and bend throughout the track which lends Holster its easy going vibe. The heavy lifting is left up to the vocals, which sees a more concentrated effort from frontman Michael Baini than we have in the past.

He controls the flow of the melody, at times drawling, sometimes curt and even wailing in some places. It’s a dynamic vocal performance which manages to keep the track feeling fresh and vibrant as it ticks along. Which is a relief when you consider that vocals in the majority of songs within the indie-rock realm tend to sit in the one spot. Having a vocal that varies in style helps sell the themes of the song as we are led on the journey of affirmation.

Holster is definitely a step in a more raw direction for The Sand Dollars. As the band say “We recorded the song over a year ago with Matt D’Arcy who really put the energy into the song that we were hoping for. The drums sound loud and fast and the overdriven organ gives a unique touch to a familiar formula. Holster was also mastered by Steve Smart at 301 Studios to give it that raunchy rock and roll finish“.

The band hope that Holster will be a good indication of their debut EP which is currently in the works. If Holster is anything to go by, then it’s gonna be a ripper.