BLACK HONEY

After slowly teasing fans and media last year with a drizzle of songs released without showing their faces, Black Honey, shrouded in mystery, simply let their music do the talking. Ditching the quinntessential band photo, the Brighton, UK group had only their TV themed artwork to accompany each track. You could even text the band directly with your burning questions to find out more, but the only way to physically grab a hold of a limited edition copy of their first four-track EP was to attend one of their secret shows last year.

The four-piece features the sultry and soothing vocals of lead singer, Izzy Bee, over some pretty dreamy musical arrangements compliments of her equally talented bandmates: Chris Ostler, Tommy Taylor, and Tom Dewhurst. “Sleep Forever” opens the album of demos with Bee singing with a yearning desire: “I wish I could sleep forever ooh, I wish I could sleep forever with you.” Second song, “Teenager,” takes it a notch up as a welcoming raw contrast to the lead track, showing the UK group is not just a one note band. With the third cut, “The Taste,” one can’t help but dig this upbeat track, drawing attention to the psychedelic swirling guitars and backing vocals. The EP’s closing song, “Bloodlust,” is reminiscent of 90s Dandy Warhols with a splash of The Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour.

But what really stands out is the double A-side single the band released earlier this year on UK label Duly Noted Records. Featuring “Madonna” and “Spinning Wheel,” with the former taking an indie psych-pop approach with a garage sensibility and the latter a Spaghetti Western song that could easily appear in a Quentin Tarantino film (or perhaps on a Federale album). »

– Wendy Worzalla