Five Questions With Holy Tokes

Canadian rock band Holy Tokes have recently released their newest single, “Ghosts”.

“Ghosts” immediately wrangles the listener’s attention, by opening with distortion so alien and severe, that one would think something is wrong with their audio set-up. Then right before headphones can be untangled or speakers checked, bombastic and brutal drums kick the track off —expertly followed by the yearning lyrical howls of singer Mark Lingelbach.

The track presents all the band’s cards on the table, proving that just because a band’s style is dirty, doesn’t mean the sound is anything but pristine.

“Music that is talking about true experiences and intrigues in our own way. It’s different sounding music coming from the most honest, and loud parts of our beings, so we hope you can have fun and get down with that feeling while not resisting the urge to move,” says Lingelbach.

The maestro behind the delivery of the mournful and manic lyrics is not far off, as Holy Tokes evokes a sensation so rhythmic and hypnotic, that keeping a rigid neck while listening would be an almost impossible task.

“[The lyrics] come from collaborative feelings in the band, we often discuss how a song makes us feel or what intentions went into writing the music and apply that to the lyrics. Often human rights-driven or statements on the human condition, what drives depression or passion.”

The band is planning to release another single later this year, “Empires”, so stay tuned for that, and check out the video for “Ghosts” below.

Care to introduce yourself to our readers?

We are Holy Tokes! We’re four dudes born in different corners of the continent that all now call Vancouver, BC home and we share a passion for making original and collaborative rock music.

Tell us a bit about your music and writing style.

We usually label our music as “alternative” as it encompasses multiple genres amalgamated in our own distinct way. Our writing style has evolved over the past couple of years but currently, we find it usually starts with bass and guitar roughing out the raw ideas and then introducing drums. Finally, we work out the vocals and any possible synthesizer ideas to round everything out!

What have you been doing to keep yourself creative during the pandemic?

We were jamming and writing relentlessly for the 1st year into the pandemic when we could not do anything else – just to stay sane! We also like to get outside and stay active any way we can.

If you were asked to suggest only one of your songs for someone to hear, which would it be?

We would ask them to listen to our newest release, “Ghosts.” We are extremely proud of this heavier track and think it represents all the unique things that make Holy Tokes!

Canadian Beats is all about Canadian music, so who are your current favourite Canadian bands/ artists?

We love A LOT of Canadian Bands, but currently, we’re spinning Andy Shauf, Death From Above 1979, Land of Talk, and PUP.

Connect with Holy Tokes:
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