Single/Video Review: Holding Out

Speech Act Theory is a new project by producer and musician Pete Hickman which allows him to explore his vulnerable side, putting his insecurities out there for all to see. Musically this is bringing together elements of Alternative, Shoegaze, Electronica and pop, with the focus on keyboards and vocals, although special mention should be made here of the drums (and I still cannot make up my mind if they are programmed or real), which provide cut through. The guitar and bass take some of the emphasis away from the long held down chords which are played on some very analogue sounding synths, and the feeling is very much of the late Eighties and early Nineties Bristol scene, with Massive Attack being an obvious point of reference.

It gets very close to moving into dance territory but tends to just flirt with the idea and wants to stand against the wall and watch what else is going on. Lyrically this is touching on toxic relationships and what can come out of that. The video is both compelling and disturbing, featuring a male and female character, and one wonders what they see in each other as they mimic the others’ movements, while both are obviously suffering emotional trauma the very first time we see them. It feels far more like a mini movie than a music video, with this song being the effective soundtrack telling us the story. It may not be really my normal form of music to listen to, but there is something fascinating about this and it will be interesting to see where Pete takes us from here.