London-born musician Holly Golightly got her professional start as a member of Kent, England’s Thee Headcoatees, a garage rock combo formed as an opening act for Billy Childish and his band, Thee Headcoats. After the group’s run of albums and singles ended, Golightly continued a solo career that had already kicked off with her 1995 debut album The Good Things. She has also lent her talents to others’ work, including vocals on the White Stripes track “It’s True That We Love One Another.” As a solo artist, Golightly has released nearly a dozen albums; Clippety Clop is the tenth long-player credited to Holly Golightly & the Brokeoffs. It will hit the streets May 4, 2018 on Transdreamer Records via The Orchard/Sony.
But “& the Brokeoffs” is really just Holly’s longtime partner Lawyer Dave. The Brokeoffs’ sound manifests itself as a sort of Americana filtered through British punk, deriving its distinctive flavor from the duo’s instrumental approach: Holly sings (and plays a bit of acoustic guitar) while Lawyer Dave accompanies her. The result has a welcome rawness that simultaneously recalls Sun Studio productions and iconoclastic Leeds, U.K. band Mekons. Holly and Dave head out to that shed studio in spare moments when not busy with their other full-time endeavor, running a horse rescue farm. But the demands of work and life meant that the recording of Clippety Clop took place over the course of a couple of years.
Today Glide is excited to premiere “12 Mule Train”, a song that plays – like much of the album – on the theme of the four-legged animals inspired by the environment of its creators. Definitely one of the bluesiest tracks on the album, “12 Mule Train” melds loose harmonies with a driving guitar sound that veers into twangy territory. Perhaps even more reflective of their surroundings, the song is electric yet feels rural in an almost Appalachian garage rock kind of way. It also captures the natural chemistry between Holly and Lawyer Dave, who seem to revel in living the farm life and crafting music together.
Reflecting on the song, Holly says simply, “This song was much more complicated to pull off than it might sound, and we’re both really happy with our psychedelic fiesta.”
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