Honeychain breaks the sound and style barrier on their most recent release “FUTURA”. This infectious EP of punk soaked garage-pop has an enormous sound that shrouds the listener in a flurry of electric guitars, sexy vocals, and relentless rocking beats. Even more impressive is that band founder Hillary Burton wrote all of the songs and plays every instrument on this showcase of premium Los Angelian rock n roll. A razor edged prowess that constructs songs into anthems shines through these five tracks of love, regret, and clever observation. Life in the big city and its sometimes-seedy beaches takes on a new meaning when turned into sonic blasts, cunning jolts that riff the nuances of Southern California perfectly.
With the bite of The Pandoras and the class of The Primitives, opening track “The All-About Me Girl” grooves on a kickass chord progression that hits hard while igniting the senses with a crisp chorus that addresses that self-absorbed someone we all know, that gives us the brush. “Easy to Forget” follows with an indictment of the wannabe narcissist in our lives. If Susanna Hoffs sung for the Ramones, it might sound something like this. The pristine grittiness of the mid-tempo ballad “Two Fools” has a classic picked apart power-chord flow that lets the choruses come crashing in while the beach-drenched melody pours slowly but surely.
The smash hit off this short but sweet collection is the frenzied and seriously fun “Lucky One”. Fast and scattered guitar licks complement the intense songwriting. This tune will definitely turn some heads. Shamelessly catchy and relentless in its energy, you’ll have this one on repeat for quite some time. Closing out the idiosyncratic festivities is a Ronettes inspired number that surely knows how to make dynamics and mood swings co-exist. “Than You” is a perfect closer and contains my favorite lyrics penned by Hillary. She exclaims, “I'M YOUR BIG DISASTER - OF A HAPPILY EVER AFTER, I WISH THAT I COULD FLEE (ME)”. Now that is a train of thought I can always relate to and that’s what makes for the best rock n roll.
Honeychain became a full on band shortly after this recording. They are currently working on a new recording with the legendary Kim Shattuck (of Muffs fame) producing. If that wasn’t enough, they are also invading the International Pop Overthrow Festival in L.A. this summer. Very worth your while…
-Kevin McGovern
Honeychain
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