I first heard of Steady Holiday while studying the exhaustive list of Coachella artists for this year’s festival. If you happened to catch her, she was playing Sundays at the Gobi stage. I didn’t know at the time, but she was actually hand-picked by Coachella founder Paul Tollett to play for the festival. After learning that, you kind of have to dig deeper, right?
After listening to the single “Open Water” by Steady Holiday, I was hooked. Sobering and introspective lyrics combined with dreamy, wafting melodies reminded me of Rozi Plain, or early work from the Shins. It’s the perfect soundtrack for moments of self-reflection.
Dre Babinski has been playing in quite a few bands around town through the years, including Dusty Rhodes, the River Band, and Hunter Hunted. But this is her first foray as a solo artist, and for her forthcoming album, Under the Influence, she creates a sound that is truly her own.
The album will be released June 24, but until then you can grab four of the singles on her Bandcamp page. And don’t miss the chance see her live at the Satellite – She’s got a free Monday night residency coming up there next month.
Steady Holiday will also be appearing for a free show at the Santa Monica Pier, on Thursday, September 1, along with Unknown Mortal Orchestra, as part of KCRW’s Summer Nights series of free events all throughout the summer!