Holy Motors break out on Heaven’s Night
Saturday 24th October 2026 on 10:45 in
Estonia
Estonian band Holy Motors expand their sound on their new album, Heaven’s Night, according to an album review published by ERR. Reviewer Neit-Eerik Nestor rates the record eight out of 10.
The band seemed fully formed when it released Slow Sundown in 2018, and Horse in 2020 did little to challenge that impression. But those albums now seem less like finished works than the first shoots of a band still growing, Nestor writes. Against that backdrop, Slow Sundown can sound almost shy and restrained.
A preview came in August with the release of Hellishly Hot, which showcased a more expressive and bold Holy Motors than listeners had heard before. Singer Eliann Tulve, in particular, gives a striking performance. The band has stepped out of a cocoon that neither it nor its listeners knew was there, the review says.
Holy Motors have not lost their Americana pastiches or their energy. Instead, the imagery suggested by the songs has become sharper and more detailed, while the album’s wider range gives each track its own character. Where earlier songs could seem to drift through time, nearly every track on Heaven’s Night has its own centre of gravity and creates a distinct world within the album.
Howlin’ builds into a spaghetti western-style chase, while God Is A Feeling moves from a deep groove towards the sky before plunging back into a pool of magma. Tough Crush, meanwhile, sounds at first unlike a Holy Motors song, yet also unmistakably belongs to the band.
The album brings indie rock and shoegaze grooves into the band’s existing sound. Nestor contrasts Holy Motors with the many guitar bands that draw on similar musical influences but often fade after an EP or debut album. Holy Motors, he writes, have developed a recognisable attitude and atmosphere, adding layers rather than simply imitating or romanticising their influences.
As listeners celebrate the success of Night Tapes, the review notes, Holy Motors are listened to more in Los Angeles and London than in Tallinn, and most of all in Berlin.