ELITE RECORD PLAYERS

Artist  | Honeyblood
Title   | Babes Never Die

Genre   | Indie                                Format  | Album
Source  | CDDA                                 Time    | 39:00

Label   | FatCat Records                       Store   | 2016
Catalog | FATCD141                             Rip     | 2017

Bitrate | 261 kbps                             Size    | 77.29 MB
Freq    | 44.1 kHz                             Encoder | Lame 3.98.4

01. Intro                                                       0:42
02. Babes Never Die                                             3:47
03. Ready For The Magic                                         2:42
04. Sea Hearts                                                  3:43
05. Love Is A Disease                                           4:05
06. Walking At Midnight                                         3:40
07. Justine, Misery Queen                                       4:15
08. Sister Wolf                                                 3:48
09. Hey, Stellar                                                3:06
10. Cruel                                                       4:04
11. Gangs                                                       3:56
12. Outro                                                       1:12

Glaswegian noise pop duo Honeyblood consists of Stina Marie Claire
Tweeddale on guitar and vocals and Cat Myers on drums. Taking inspiration
from dark and cloudy 90s indie rock luminaries like PJ Harvey, Sonic Youth,
and Throwing Muses, Tweeddale formed the band in early 2012 with original
drummer Shona McVicar. Their gorgeously murky home-recorded two-song demo
cassette quickly caught the attention of FatCat Records, which signed
Honeyblood in 2013 and issued their first single, "Bud", later that year.
The duo's self-titled album, which was produced by Peter Katis, arrived in
July 2014 and delivered a more polished version of Tweeddale and McVicar's
crunch-pop. Shortly after Honeyblood's release, McVicar left and was
replaced by Cat Myers. After touring with the likes of the Foo Fighters and
Wolf Alice in 2015, Honeyblood returned to the studio with producer James
Dring, who also worked with Jamie T and Gorillaz. The band's fiery second
album, "Babes Never Die", arrived in late 2016.

For Cat Myers first album with the band, she and Stina Tweeddale recruited
producer James Dring, who has also worked with Gorillaz, Jamie T, and Lana
Del Rey - artists who aren't exactly similar to the fizzy yet wistful sound
Honeyblood crafted on their debut. Indeed, "Babes Never Die" finds
Tweeddale and Myers doubling down on spiky, 90s-tinged rockers like "Killer
Bangs" and "Choker", and leaving their graceful indie pop by the wayside,
revealing a much louder and bolder band.

The loping rhythm of "Justine, Misery Queen" is a great showcase for Myers,
while the synths on "Love Is a Disease" reflect how much the duo challenged
expectations this time around. The album's first three songs are some of
the finest examples of Honeyblood 2.0: "Ready For The Magic" is razor-edged
pop, full of hand-clapping verses and stinging riffs; "Sea Hearts" is as
packed with heavy guitars and trippy twists and turns as University-era
Throwing Muses, and the title track evokes the joyously grungy defiance of
Bettie Serveert. Like that band's frontwoman, Carol van Dijk, Tweeddale is
often an emotional lightning rod, but even on "Babes Never Die" quieter
songs she feels somewhat distant.

The album's big, shiny sound doesn't leave much room for wry soul-bearing,
and songs such as "Gangs" and "Walking at Midnight" don't make as much of
an impact as they could. Meanwhile, the dreamy choruses on "Hey, Stellar"
and "Cruel" sugar-coated manipulation underscore how good Tweeddale is at
writing and singing confessional songs - and what a shame it is that there
aren't more of them on the album. 'You and me/We're cut from the same
cloth/A little rough, a little soft', she sings at one point, and it was
the mix of rough and soft that made Honeyblood so compelling on their
debut. Though they rock convincingly, there's something missing on "Babes
Never Die"; they've become a more focused, accomplished band, but it's at a
price.