London quartet Honey Lung shared their second EP “Post Modern Motorcade Music” via Big Scary Monsters (American Football, Beach Slang)—the follow-up to their 2019 demos and singles collection Memory, which was among one of the best EPs of last year. “Big” is a case study in the power of subtle, blooming melodies, “Juggle” is the band’s most lo-fi cut to date and perhaps their most lyrically pensive and “Be My Friend” is the kind of bittersweet lo-fi rock to be cherished—it’s equal parts soul-stirring and charming.
Having spent three months writing in Berlin, Honey Lung have grown up a lot as a band, they now express a more introspective side that has placed their songs outside of conventional genre boundaries. Now somewhere in a visceral, dark cosmos of story telling and honest feelings. With nods to artists such as Sparklehorse, Elliott Smith and Wilco.
Ever building in sonic confidence and reputation, London four-piece Honey Lung take us through their latest EP Post Modern Motorcade Music . Taking in sweeping Americana landscapes inspired by their trip to SXSW, stopping off at the heartbreak hotel and driving the long and lonely road of longing, this EP lyrically takes the listener on a journey, as well as musically. The band have undergone some changes, and this EP emerges as a triumphant trophy of those evolutions, lsonically mature in comparison to previous releases.
‘Getting Off’
‘Getting Off’ has got a sweeping, almost American-heartland vibe to it, where intimate feelings get carried along by hazy, expansive sounds. That style of music probably took on a new resonance for us when we were in Texas for SXSW last year, and we could see for ourselves how these huge dreamy American landscapes can inspire that kind of expression. This song feels like it grew a lot out of those travels and the things we were going through at that time. ‘Getting Off’ can mean different things to different people, or in different circumstances, and this song tries to capture that changeability.
‘Be My Friend’
This was an important song to us because it was the first one we put out after a period of sorting ourselves out, going through some changes, and then eventually signing with Big Scary Monsters. We wanted to announce ourselves with something punchy but kind of fun too – as soon as you put the song on, you’re right there in the middle of it. Lyrically it tells a bit of an ironic and awkward story but there’s some angst there too, which probably reflected that the idea for the song came about when we were a bit younger, but also our recent eagerness to just back on it again.
‘Name’
You can probably tell just from listening to it that this song deals with some raw memories. There’s a hypnotic and repetitive base but it’s got a huge range of dynamics which makes it kind of adaptable – live we can make it hit hard or draw people up close and play it more intimately. It also sounds super nice acoustically, which is usually a conscious decision for us – we’re hugely inspired by bands like Wilco and Alex G who, despite all the weird sounds they experiment with, could pick out any of their songs and just play it on their own. We think all songs should have that kind of solid musical core to them that transfers across all the different ways you can play it.
‘Big’
Like all the songs on the EP, ‘Big’ has gone through a lot of evolutions and been played a few different ways over the months to see how it felt in front of an audience. Really we wanted this to be a lyrically-led song, each musical part forming part of a whole and nothing more, to let the vocals and lyrics shine through. The song comes from a place of heartbreak and longing, but also explores the growth and renewal that comes out of those experiences. When we grow up to be ‘big’ we learn a lot but we come up against new challenges and responsibilities.
‘Juggle’
The idea for this song was knocking around for ages as an angry grunge jam, but when we came back to it, we felt we’d grown out of that phase a bit and went off-kilter with the sounds, exploring synths and some different textures and Alex G style hints of weirdness. Obviously it’s a lot of fun to play live because you can play around with the noise and the mess to your advantage. We’re trying to show a mature and lyrical development on this EP, but you can still find the controlled chaos in places, especially on this track. Either way, the message of the song has stayed the same: the slippery slope into a darker frame of mind that can happen when you get too bored and restless.
Band Members:
Jamie
Omri
David
Harry
The Fat Angel Sings 