Holy Hive Mull Missed Opportunities on ‘Ain’t That the Way It Goes’

The trio Holy Hive mull blown chances and missed opportunities on their new single “Ain’t That the Way It Goes.” The track is the first taste of the group’s sophomore album, Holy Hive, due September 24.

“Ain’t That the Way It Goes” pairs lead singer Paul Spring’s gaseous falsetto with a soft, marching rhythm from bassist Joe Harrison and drummer Homer Steinweiss. While the lyrics of the chorus suggest resignation, an inability to seize control at the right moment, Holy Hive stressed that there is an undercurrent of optimism in their latest track. “It’s in our nature to strive for things and miss the mark,” the band said in a statement. “But there is ultimately a hopefulness to this concept. It may be that we miss the open doors in front of us but we all do it, and the beauty is in the shared experience.”

Holy Hive released their debut album, Float Back to You, last year. They described their follow-up as “a continuation of our folk soul experiment.” The trio started writing new songs while on tour — the first four tunes came together in an Airbnb in the Yucca Valley. Holy Hive continued working in isolation during the pandemic and recently reconvened in-person to put the finishing touches on the album at Diamond Mine Studio in New York.

“In a way, this whole strange timeline mirrors how our songs are usually made in a breathing collaboration,” the band said in a statement. “We often write on our own and then bring the song into the studio to re-work it together. Usually, the song ends up much different than it started.” 

Steinweiss and Spring turned to poetry for lyrical inspiration. “A Wind Rose,” one song that will appear on Holy Hive, draws on a poem written by Spring’s great grandmother, while “Brooklyn Ferry” adapts Walt Whitman.