Released: 24th May 2019
Rating: ★★★
Honeyblood’s third album finds vocalist Stina Tweeddale stepping out on her own as the band’s sole member with a batch of scuzzy, fuzzy jams bubbling with attitude and menace.
Opener ‘She’s a Nightmare’ was inspired by Stina’s night terrors after returning from tour, simmering with threat and intent over a relentless musical barrage. Written alone after two intense years on the road, ‘In Plain Sight’ slaloms across styles and sounds, from the riotous punk of ‘Gibberish’ to the slow-down piano of closer ‘Harmless’.
Lo-fi rocker ‘Tarantella’ slams like peak White Stripes and shows what Stina can achieve with just her voice, guitar and drums. ‘Take the Wheel’ is a highlight, a propulsive backbeat conjuring open highways as Stina careens down her new path. Lead single ‘Third Degree’ is the most infectious song on show, a stop-start beat melting into a 50s vocal harmony that buzzes around your head like bees in a hive. Lyrically it’s a barb aimed at an ex but the sweet as honey delivery will make it a live favourite in future.
Flying solo for the first time, Honeyblood aren’t letting up.
Dillon Eastoe
