After some uncharacteristic time away, Black Honey returned last month with ‘Psycho‘. Kicking off a new era inspired by Stanley Kubrick, having dabbled in the worlds of Quentin Tarantino and Wes Anderson previously. Those eras gave us some excellent albums and tons of hits, so I’m more than happy to get a little existential, and keep the eyes peeled for this iteration.
They didn’t wait long to follow up, with ‘Dead’ released alongside the announcement of Soak. The new album is set to arrive on August 15th, which feels ages away, but from what we’ve heard from it so far, it’s looking like it’ll be a blast.
Written in a time that sees frontwoman Izzy B. Phillips experience two years of sobriety and a thriving career as a tattoo artist, ‘Dead’ feels sharp as ever. Its easy-going intro takes its time, but doesn’t waste any displaying a greater sense of self-understanding. Lyrically grounded, the song evokes the eyeball torture seen in A Clockwork Orange to great effect. It’s visceral and pretty gross, but revels in its imagery.
‘Psycho’ did a great job setting the tone towards this Kubrick-inspired sound, and ‘Dead’ runs with it. Once again, Black Honey showcase their ability to create a strong hook and drive it into our heads. The easy-breezy instrumental feels sunkissed – taking all the time in the world to sink into the ears, before falling victim to the band’s knack to twist it completely.
I’ve been a fan of Black Honey for years now, and got to see them perform at Chinnery’s in Southend a couple years ago, which was unreal. I cannot wait to hear the new album, and ‘Dead’ will remain in regular rotation until then.