Two lead singles off of Mad Honey’s upcoming debut album, Satellite Aphrodite, have been released, and they indicate a very promising debut from the Oklahoma City band. Known for their shoegaze-infused indie sound, Mad Honey has garnered a good bit of popularity over the past 5 years with the release of numerous singles, and are now preparing to roll out their debut LP. The two songs released as of right now show a refining of this shoegaze and indie mix, with a new sense of weight to both songs that lends itself to the scale of an album.
The first release, “Fold,” leads us off with an incredible lead guitar, the tone of which is deep enough to get lost in. This guitar takes the lead for the whole song, showing off the clear shoegaze influence. A relaxed drum line keeps the listener grounded, while the soft, dream-pop-esque vocals come in. These vocals seem at times to be competing with the instrumental, particularly towards the end of the song, as the instrumental grows in volume. This sense, that the vocalist is almost being drowned out, serves to compliment the uncertain lyrics of the song, with lines like the closing, “Don’t think too clear, so I keep you with me/It’s cruel cause nobody knows” being some of these ‘competing’ lines.
“Concentration,” the second pre-release, takes a different approach. Again led in by guitar, this song’s guitar is much lower, much slower, and much less overpowering. Instead, the focus is definitely given to the breathy, whisper-like vocals. “Concentration” is where the new sense of weight behind these songs is most apparent - a build into the chorus of the song lets these heavy guitars and pounding drums swell for just a moment, before being reigned back in by the persistent vocals. This build reflects the angrier lyrics of the chorus, with the lines, “I won’t take it back now/I wouldn’t do it again” and the closing lines of “Concentrate on nothing/Fuck yourself instead” being sung over this swell. The closing of the song is a slow fade out that could flow very well into the next track on the album, which serves to build my excitement for the release.
Satellite Aphrodite comes out on September 22nd, and based on these two singles, it is definitely a release to watch out for. Mad Honey puts on an incredible display of their more refined sound, offering a new depth to their songs and an incredible potential for their album.
