A routine based on short, daily studio sessions eventually led Scott Holiday somewhere unexpected. The Rival Sons guitarist had not initially set out to establish a solo identity, but the growing collection of fragments began to suggest a body of work with its own language. That process developed into HOL1D4Y, whose debut album, TOPOLOGY, arrives September 25, 2026 through Sacred Tongue Recordings and Thirty Tigers.
The project’s latest preview is “AUTONOMATIC”, a fuzz-heavy song concerned with the evolving relationship between people and machines. Its invented title joins the concepts of autonomy and automatic behavior. The resulting word points toward technology that no longer functions solely as an obedient instrument, but begins to seek the freedom that human beings take as a defining condition.
Holiday’s writing process placed momentum ahead of conventional productivity. Each morning brought a new guitar idea rather than pressure to complete a polished song. Some sessions produced only brief sketches, yet the accumulation of those pieces allowed recurring patterns to surface. Psychedelic atmosphere, shifting arrangements and unfamiliar rhythmic approaches began to separate the material from his work with Rival Sons.
Improvised performances from drummer Michael Miley helped give those experiments a structural base. Miley recorded drums in his home studio and sent the material to Holiday, who treated the performances as components that could be cut, repositioned and reshaped. Synthesizer contributions from Jesse Nason added another layer to the sessions, alongside Holiday’s guitar, bass and newly introduced lead vocals.
The decision to sing changed the direction of several compositions. Pieces that had begun as instrumentals developed sufficiently clear narrative possibilities to require lyrics. Holiday’s move toward the microphone therefore grew from the needs of the material rather than from an effort to abandon his established role as a guitarist. HOL1D4Y became a setting in which writing, arranging, production and performance could remain under a single creative direction.
That independence is reflected in the “AUTONOMATIC” video, which Holiday produced and directed with Aaron Eisenberg of Sound + Vision Co. The clip forms part of a broader visual plan for TOPOLOGY. Every track is expected to receive a visual component, extending the record’s blend of psychedelic atmosphere, alternative music, experimental pop and progressive exploration beyond its audio form.
The nine-song album runs for 46 minutes and includes “Holotropic,” “Veridream”, “Panoptic,” “Constellations,” “Metacognition,” “CRISM,” “Equanimity” and “Love of Separation” alongside “AUTONOMATIC.” It will be issued on CD and double seaglass-colored vinyl, with pre-orders available through the official HOL1D4Y store and Bandcamp.
Photo credit: Rick Horn
