Grief dominates but doesn’t obscure the stripped-back rock of Holy Wars’ “Mother Father”

Holy Wars is the project of Connecticut-born Kat Leon. Having lost both her parents within the space of one year, the singer left previous band Sad Robot to take some time out of the spotlight. Returning as Holy Wars, “Mother Father” spills over with emotion, just managing not to obscure the artistry of her stripped-back rock. It’s less heavy than much of her album, acting as a vessel for Leon to pour herself into, turning her darkest experiences into a thing of tentative beauty.

“‘Mother Father’ is the final song of our album, that inspired our whole album and what we would call it,” explains Leon. “Each song is dedicated to a stage of grief and acceptance with a video attached to each one. We wanted the video for ‘Mother Father’ to be a message to my parents about what life is like now after their recent passing. So the video needed to be simple and honest. All of the home movies shown are real footage of my Mom and Dad as teens. I wanted the audience to not only see them but to hear their voices, so after a lot of debating, I decided to share with everyone the final voicemails I received from them before they passed. We all experience loss and pain and though we try to avoid these emotions and numb ourselves with happier music and chemical relief, but I allowed myself to be in every moment and feel every bitter feeling, it has now made me who I am.“