Black Honey – Black Honey

After years of anticipation, peers have come and gone as the Brighton crew continued to find their identity before committing it to record. Rather than set on a singular vision, though, their first-full length does quite the opposite – as it turns out, they’re quite the chameleons.

That cinematic widescreen perspective that runs through all Black Honey’s work remains, but inside those black bars, a whole plethora of individual worlds blossom and thrive. ‘I Only Hurt The Ones I Love’ kicks things off by playing to strengths, all six-shooter western rattle and femme fatal drama, but it’s a sharp hand break turn into the disco fever of ‘Midnight’, strutting in like Travolta’s got nothing on them. ‘Whatever Happened To You’ drips in 90s grunge, while ‘Bad Friends’ glitches with digital sheen – and that’s just the first four tracks.

‘Blue Romance’ vamps like Lana Del Rey at her woozy best, sitting at the opposite end of the table to the horror-pop of ‘Into The Nightmare’, a cabaret of ashing lights and crushed velvet glamour. It’s a familiar friend that anchors the weird and wonderful show, though. ‘Hello Today’ remains Black Honey’s calling card. From its Francophile intro to its swaggering, hip shaking chorus, it’s the central point where every frame hits focus – the team up to top the blockbuster chart. Black Honey can be whatever they want, but in that one moment, they’re positively iconic.

Stephen Ackroyd