Beyond the Boys Club is the latest addition to the Consequence Podcast Network, featuring journalist and radio host Anne Erickson of Audio Ink Radio. Spinning off from the interview column of the same name, the series highlights women and non-binary musicians as they offer their perspectives on the industry and discuss their personal experiences. For episode No. 3, Erickson is joined by Kat Leon of Holy Wars. Follow BTBC wherever you get your podcasts.
Los Angeles-based duo Holy Wars recently released a new EP, Cult Classic, offering an amalgam of musical sounds, from straight-ahead pop to nu-metal to raging hard rock. The release, which arrived on new label Pale Chord via Rise Records, is available on all streaming platforms now here.
The songs on Cult Classic pay honor to cult horror classics, making this a very dark and menacing collection of songs. Vocalist Kat Leon and guitarist/producer Nick Perez take the listener on a journey, both with eclectic musical sounds and jarring themes. Leon calls the duo’s sound a “blender,” but if she had to pick a descriptor, she’d go with a different term.
“It’s like heavy alternative, is what I would call it,” she tells Beyond the Boys Club host Anne Erickson, “because it’s a bit heavier than what somebody would consider alternative, but some true metal fans would definitely say, ‘This song’s not too metal.’ So, we never really want to say we’re one of anything, just because we love all of it.”
Explaining the projects sonic amalgamation, she adds, “I grew up in theater, and I was a huge Fiona Apple, Regina Spektor fan. Nick grew up in the punk scene in Las Vegas, and he loves metal. So, we joined forces. It wasn’t easy, at first, to figure out what I like or how this type of song would fit in my vocal range or my tone and with the metal riffs that he likes to do. But I love punk music as well, so I think over the years, I got more comfortable. I started to expand my knowledge of music, and I’m finding bands like Refused and ’90s punk, so my knowledge and love of it also expanded.”
In this episode of the Beyond the Boys Club podcast, Leon discusses what it was like discovering the sound of Holy Wars, getting a confidence boost from the one and only Alice Cooper, what it’s like being a couple with her musical partner, and more.
Listen to the Beyond the Boys Club podcast via the media player above, and watch a clip of the interview below. Make sure to like, review, and subscribe to BTBC wherever you get your podcasts to keep up with each new episode, and pick up a “Beyond the Boys Club” T-shirt via the Consequence Shop or by clicking below.
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