True stories; real life, real people. For Holy Family it’s our human, and at times non-human, experiences which have shaped the sound of brand-new album Values. An upbeat collection of thought-provoking tales reflecting the light and dark sides of life itself, each track is a poignant commentary by a band who have never been ones to stay put for too long.

“Values is about feeling too old to keep up and too young to give up,” explains family member, Anton. “It is a complete presentation of our music and ‘time’ is especially relevant; how it affects us and how we try to affect it. The album is ambiguous in mood, fluctuates and relates to a wider variety of emotions than we’ve ever attempted to create before.”

Each track on Values sparkles with its own captivating tale that walks the high-wire between ideal and reality, expectation and the values that drive us. ‘In the fall of Jimmy Angel’ and ‘Memory Collector’, talk of the new trend for ‘personal branding’ and how society’s values are affected by social media. “A lot of life is about routines and streaming more bad TV shows than you’re necessarily proud to admit,” Anton says.

After spending the last 24 months experiencing life in and between their rural hometown on the outskirts of Gothenburg, the Canadian city of Montreal, and sunny climbs of Athens, Georgia, Values also reflects the guilty side to the doors of opportunity brought about by relocation. Showing that where the sun may shine brighter, the grass isn’t always greener, the climactic ‘Empty Gestures’ talks of leaving small town living behind for a new life in the big city. “There was something that felt important about moving back to Sweden and coming to terms with how things are here,” recalls fellow family member Viktor. “When we all moved back we were pretty relieved – it can be hard to shake that sense of being an outsider when you move to a new city… the experience is one of escapism and less about finding a new home.”

A former trio including third member Erik, in Canada Holy Family’s ties were cut down to a duo. Anton and Viktor represented the band from their new base abroad, performing at M for Montreal and Toronto Film festivals and toured Europe with Of Montreal whilst their song ‘Airy Jane’ featured on the US version of TV show Shameless. The band received an award from the Swedish Association of Composers (STIM) but time apart only drew Holy Family closer and once the pair returned home, the group doubled in size after reuniting with Erik and calling upon the guitar skills of good friend Petter.

Written in Gothenburg Values was recorded over just two weeks in Athens, Georgia with Kevin Barnes (Of Montreal). With little time for breaks, the combination of fatigue and time constraints forced the band beyond their comfort zone and into new sonic realms, giving the record it’s eclectic feel recalling the experimentalism of Blur or Grizzly Bear with the technical style of late 60s song-writing. Assisted by Drew Vandenberg and mixed by David Pye (Wild Beasts, 2:54) , before long the tropical temperatures surrounding Kevin’s home took effect on the band. “Just being somewhere that has t-shirt weather in April was impressive, but especially when you’re from Sweden,” says Anton. “Our first recordings in Montreal definitely had more of a second-hand sweater vibe whereas this record has more of a second-hand t-shirt tinge to it.”

Just as all great stories have morals, despite their lightness and wit, Holy Family never stray far from the bitter truth. Like the endless possibilities and eventualities of life, its technologies and social concerns that come with them, Holy Family seek to explore this further through their songs, which have already started to take on a life of their own. “These songs have travelled the world before we’ve even played them live so they’ve already had time to grow into something beyond our control,” Erik teases.