Honeyblood – (I’d Rather Be) Anywhere But Here
SoundCloud
If you’re unfamiliar with the homemade craft of Scottish duo, Honeyblood, then there really is no better time to get acquainted with what it is these girls do so well. Formed in 2012, Stina Tweeddale and Shona McVicar have quickly risen from four-track recorders to a full-length debut, and along the way have tightened and sharpened their product significantly.
Their overall sound and the shape of their debut centers around muddy, hazy lo-fi indie and alt-rock instrumentation threaded together and accented with bold, infectious melodies. Pairing older guitar-driven sounds with pop sensibilities is nothing new, but Honeyblood does it with such panache and a pointed delivery. Imagine, if you will, a version of Best Coast that embodies a more grungy aesthetic and better lyrical content. Speaking of which, the songwriting is another bonus to be discovered on Honeyblood’s debut. It’s not the best you’ll hear this year, but the pair are conscious of not falling into oversimplified and fluffy territories to simply push their pop dimensions further. Instead they take a route which is at times smart, funny, angst-driven and a touch personal. This particular approach syncs up nicely with the sound of the album as it sits in-between the realms of classic pop and indie rock from the early 90s.
There’s certainly more which can be done with this project — there is most definitely room to grow, and in due time it will be interesting to see how they expand upon this initial building block. With the improvements in sound quality and production, the reinforced chemistry between these Glaswegian girls and the simple but utterly joyous output they’ve crafted here is a great place for anyone to find themselves.
