Review Summary: The art of brooding
The first track off Honeyglaze’s self-titled debut tells you all you need to know about this new project. A few scattered guitar chords nervously materialize, as frontwoman Anouska Sokolow’s airy vocals color the background. This introductory tune, appropriately named “Start”, eventually gives away its hand and climaxes with a billow of trippy effects and devastating guitar distortion, as if you’re watching the apocalypse unfold before your eyes. The range in this one song is exquisite and hints at the variety you’ll hear on the rest of
Honeyglaze, much like the overture to a classical composition would. The core of the record is comprised of tried-and-true indie rock, but there are a lot of compelling experiments and deviations that help set this budding group apart from their contemporaries: for instance, there’s the sprawling tempo-shifting mini-epic “Burglar”, whose dreary atmosphere matches the brooding watercolor artwork perfectly. Then there’s the fantastic post-rock-influenced closer “Childish Things”, a song whose tense buildup is rewarded with a flurry of fuzzed-out guitars and drums - the latter of which are performed by Yuri Shibuichi. As with fellow indie rock contemporaries Arbes, much of Honeyglaze’s magic lies in the fact that they work so well as a trio. While Sokolow’s guitar work tends to be the main focus of attention, the presence of Tim Curtis on the bass can’t be overlooked; just listen to the way his parts roll and shift around Sokolow’s guitar on “Souvenir”, as if he’s doubling as another lead player, or the fun little guitar/bass breaks that give “Deep Murky Water” its character.
Of course, none of this is to take away from Anouska Sokolow: she’s clearly the star of the show here. Hell, she says as much on album highlight “Female Lead”, a song on which she aspires to become a star and live in the spotlight. However, her vocals often belie this; she comes off as quite unassuming while still retaining her expressiveness, much like Lucy Dacus before her. She strikes a nice balance, especially on the tunes that juggle melancholy and uplift; “I Am Not Your Cushion” and “Creative Jealousy” are prime examples of this.
Honeyglaze is actually quite reminiscent of
After Laughter by Paramore, in the sense that the cheery, major-key music is often at odds with the dreary and brooding lyrics. The aforementioned “Creative Jealousy” is an upbeat indie rock number, but take a better look at the lyrics and you’ll find a disconnect: Sokolow is lamenting her jealousy of other people’s talents and gifts. Still, just from listening to such an excellent debut, you wouldn’t think she’d have any reason to be jealous.
Honeyglaze is often quite low-key and understated, but it has a lot of personality and variety for a first outing; what could have been a typical ho-hum indie record has been elevated greatly by the chemistry of the players and a very promising frontwoman. This is how you make a first impression.
