He could well be describing Holy Holy's sound, a deft mix of light and shade, colour and melancholy. It's the result of a unique chemistry between Holy Holy's principal members: Carroll, an accomplished singer-songwriter in his own right; and guitarist Oscar Dawson, formerly of electro/rock group Dukes of Windsor.

Carroll and Dawson have a long history, having originally crossed paths in 2003 as volunteer English teachers in South-East Asia. Carroll says that at the time, he could not foresee the role Dawson would play in his musical career. "We were pretty free and loose and just young kids with cheap guitars, playing covers and blues scales back then."

Carroll returned to Brisbane, where he landed a job at the (now defunct) iconic music venue, the Troubadour. It was here that Carroll's songwriting started taking shape.

"The Troubadour had this kind of policy of pretty much everybody who worked there was a musician," he says. "After the doors were closed and we kicked out all the drunks for the night, we'd usually get the guitar out and pass it around and have a few drinks. It was really good for my songwriting and led me to do a record as a solo artist, which was nice."

Carroll's first EP, The Deepest Dive, was released in January 2010 and featured gentle acoustic ballads reminiscent of early Damien Rice. He followed it up in January 2011 with his debut album, For Bread and Circuses, which earned him a Q Song Award for best folk/ballad, as well as rave reviews from Triple J and respected publications such as Mess+Noise. The album featured a guest appearance from Dawson, who Carroll reconnected with while travelling in Europe.

Carroll continued to demo songs after the release of For Bread and Circuses, drafting Dawson as producer.

"I wanted to get away from the acoustic guitar and the kind of confessional, intimate kind of songwriting and do some rhythmic, full band stuff," he says.

Dawson became increasingly involved in the songwriting process, contributing ideas and helping Carroll explore a wider palette of sounds.

"About halfway through the recording process we were really on the same page and felt like we'd found this sound that was ours – the electric guitars, proper synths and layered vocals," says Carroll.

"It felt like really natural terrain."

Christening themselves Holy Holy (after the relatively obscure David Bowie track from 1971), the duo released its first single, Impossible Like You, in late 2013. On the back of some Triple J airplay, the band signed with boutique Sydney label Wonderlick and in early 2014 released The Pacific EP. Produced by Matt Redlich, the EP sounded fresh while showcasing the duo's love of classic rock such as Neil Young and Crosby, Stills and Nash.

It wasn't long before Holy Holy hit the road, touring Europe, refining their sound and slowly developing the tracks that would comprise their excellent debut album. Ethereal and slow-burning, When the Storms Would Come has been greeted with almost universal critical acclaim. Carroll says he's particularly proud of the songwriting on the album.

"We worked really hard on the compositions, on every element of the lyrics, the progressions, the sounds, the textures and the mix," Carroll says.

"I guess a great song is when it all comes together and each element works together and feels right.

"We also try and bring this Neil Young thing, which is to try not to overthink things. If a song feels good, then you're there, that's the endgame. We grew up listening to all the classic songwriters and I guess that's what we're aiming to do, is write songs that stand the test of time."

HOLY HOLY

When: September 18, 7pm

Where: Transit Bar, Civic

Tickets: $15 + plus BF from moshtix.com.au. 18+