Melbourne's Holly Hebe releases cutely melancholic indie-pop single, 'life of the party'

Photo by Lux Newman

Melbourne singer/songwriter & producer Holly Hebe has dropped the lead single, ‘life of the party’ off of her upcoming debut EP, ‘Party Mix’. The release marks the beginning of a busy month for Holly, who is launching her E.P at the Gaso in Melbourne with fellow rising acts Franjapan and Mizuki on November 19th, followed by the release of her E.P on Novemeber 24th.

‘life of the party’ brings to mind the laid-back indie sounds from the likes of Tulliah, with an infusion of rock-pop, similar to UK star Alfie Templeman (whom Holly recently supported on his Melbourne tour leg).

‘life of the party’ glistens and bubbles with bitter sweetness, with sampled pop drums fuelling a bouncy bass, which lets the synths and pads sparkle and fizz under Holly’s candied vocal. Lyrically, while the song is about balance, musically it mirrors the theme, with slightly angular and edgy guitars that chime in in the last third of the song, adding some rock bite to the more effervescent pop. ‘life of the party’ is cutely melancholic.

Speaking of the track, Holly explains that it is about the difficult balance between chasing your dreams whilst also being able to love and support your partner in their endeavours.

“I wrote this in my bedroom whilst there was a party going on that I couldn't get to. This made me focus on the metaphor of a relationship - it's knowing when your other half is the life of the party and it's your turn to be their cheerleader,” she said.

Using her captivating soundscapes within her production has become a common theme for Holly since her first release, ‘Sink’ in 2020. Inspired by the likes of Holly Humberstone and the 1975, Holly has worked to incorporate more synth and guitar into her mixes. However - throughout the songwriting process - Holly wrote ‘life of the party’ on guitar as opposed to her usual, trusted piano. “The production process was tough for [life of the party] as the song took many turns and many different versions”.

You can sink your teeth into ‘life of the party’ now, streaming on all platforms, and be sure to keep an eye out for Holly’s debut EP, ‘Party Mix’, due out on November 24.

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