Heaven’s Night

Holy Motors — 2026

“Heaven’s Night expands Holy Motors’ cinematic sound without losing the dark Western atmosphere that makes them so distinctive.”

Six years after Horse, Estonia’s Holy Motors return with Heaven’s Night, and I’m glad to have their distinctive sound back. Few bands in indie rock blend Eliann Tulve’s slow, dreamy, melancholic vocals with such lush arrangements and dark Western guitar work quite like this. The addition of guitarist Ivar Mägi alongside Lauri Raus gives the band a fuller, more layered sound, allowing the guitars to move around each other while still leaving plenty of room for Tulve’s voice. I love how those guitars often tell a completely different story behind her vocals. On “The Last Ones,” Tulve sits right out front while the guitars carve out their own dusty melody, creating the kind of tension you’d expect in an old-school Western just before a shootout. That cinematic pull runs throughout the record, but Holy Motors also introduce brighter pop instincts on the groovy “Hellishly Hot,” the subtle shoegaze haze of “God Is A Feeling,” and the new wave pulse of “Howlin’.” Through it all, they never lose their mysterious edge. The songs explore restless characters looking for escape, and the music makes those late-night decisions feel both romantic and dangerous. Heaven’s Night is a welcome return that expands the band’s sound without sacrificing what makes Holy Motors so captivating.