Keli Holiday Takes Us On A Trip Through New EP 'Jesterman'

An EP inspired by nostalgia and excess, Keli Holiday, the moniker of Peking Duk’s Adam Hyde, presents his latest sonic venture with EP JESTERMAN. 

A five-track frenzy, JESTERMAN delves into Hyde’s time living in New York City, with remnants of the nightlife sounds that came decades before. Genres of disco, Britpop, and alt-rock are blended together as Hyde’s husky voice echoes stories of wild nights and wilder relationships. 

To commemorate the release, Adam Hyde spoke exclusively with Purple Sneakers to take us on a track-by-track guide of his newest venture under the Keli Holiday name. 

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horsepower

It's a song about a woman who takes over any room, for better or worse. A woman that’ll pick you up in a Rolls Royce and drop you home in a hearse. A diamond studded Gucci top with a shotgun in her purse. Powerful, strong, scary and sexy. That’s horsepower. It’s a nod to the bops of 90s Britpop: Happy Mondays, Stone Roses.

disco

This, to me, is all about the state of mind that one can enter around 4 am when on one. A werewolf to a full moon. A dog in the night. This song was the first idea Twin Shadow, Blackpaw, and I worked on together, which, in hindsight, was the birth of a real collaborative connection that is still burning bright to this day.

It started with the bass line; then the rest came out. It is raw and fun, which is the way it should always be (easier said than done). Kirin J Callinan came in as the saviour of the soiree with his post-chorus guitar hook, and it was a wrap. What you hear is the product of a good time. 

up all night

Purejoy, formerly known as Amen Mustang, originally played the idea for me, and I loved it, so we got in the studio and made it shine. We’ve been sitting on this one for a while, so it feels good to finally share it with the world.

lowdown

Lowdown talks about the push and pull of a toxic relationship that, unfortunately, a lot of us know all too well. You know it's bad, but you can't stop. You're just as bad as one another, and you love it.

This song was born in the Beachwood Canyon bungalow with Twin Shadow and Blackpaw. We started with the bass, and I riffed some spoken word. We then thought it would be fun to juxtapose the minor sections with a bright chorus that feels like sunshine through the palm trees on a pill of ecstasy. It feels like two songs, in a way, and I love that. 

doyoulikeitornot?

I was sitting there and had a bassline and drum beat. I was frustrated trying to write music and was in a bit of a rut. So, as I was listening, I asked myself, Do You Like It Or Not? I repeated that and then recorded it almost out of frustration. I freestyled the rest, and it just came together. The song was made in 30 minutes, and what you hear is what I recorded on my iPhone. I sent it over to Dann Hume to add some guitars, and now it’s become a live favourite.

JESTERMAN is out now on all streaming platforms.