There are several rock bands with female vocalists that I really love: Sunflower Bean, Wolf Alice, Inheaven, My Bloody Valentine. However, I still find it hard to build on this list. The problem I come across with women in rock and roll is that a lot of times, the lyrical themes are all the same: love, relationships, sex, men. Often, they have a manufactured, "sex sells" look and their music without any substance. Sometimes, all female or female-fronted bands are really just pop bands with the appearance of being a rock band because they play guitars. What I really want is more female-fronted bands that are both cool and genuine, that actually rock, that have varied and substantive lyrics and that don't use their femininity as the only thing they have to offer. Don't be a novelty band that says "hey look over here, I'm a girl in a band", be a freakin' great rock band that happens to have a female singer.
Luckily, I found one of those. I'm proud to add this new band to my list because they won't be under the radar for too much longer and they're everything you'd want in a rock band and more. They're a band from Brighton, UK called Black Honey. The members consist of lead singer Izzy B Phillips, bass player Tommy Taylor, guitarist Chris Ostler and drummer Tom Dewhurst. And it is worth noting that Jerry, the plastic flamingo, is an important fixture in the band as well, and according to them, he "has recently graduated into the party animal hall of fame."
The music press has compared the vocals of Izzy B to the likes of Nancy Sinatra, Lana Del Rey and Debbie Harry while their music has been compared to Lush, The Beatles and The Velvet Underground. While I agree with most of these, there are also undeniable vibes of the cinema, Americana, 60's psych and baroque pop (particularly the guitar work of The Last Shadow Puppets). If you ask me, Izzy B's voice proves that she's deserving of goddess status. She's that good. And with the addition of staples like heart-shaped glasses and a beret to her repertoire, what's not to like?
Their look definitely gives off the western, retro, Americana vibe because they wear quite a bit of vintage clothing, especially their frontwoman, and she says this was probably due to the fact that she worked at a TGI Friday's for four years. The band's image is clearly important to them and they've exclusively worked with artist, Olivia Savage, to ensure that their album artwork accurately portrays their music and their own world that surrounds it. They haven't put out any music videos yet, but I can almost guarantee that they're going to be visually interesting because the band's music gives off so much cool imagery. Though they haven't released a full-length LP yet, Black Honey have already toured with bands like Catfish And The Bottlemen and Superfood. Having said this, they've already released quite an impressive discography.
Their first single was released in 2014, which was comprised of two tracks, "Sleep Forever" and "Teenager." "Sleep Forever" is a sweet and simple pop tune, while "Teenager" is a trippy guitar, slow-motion walk into the sunshine. That same year, they put out a self-released EP with those two previously-released tracks and the addition of two new tracks, "The Taste" and "Bloodlust." However, there weren't many copies of the CD as it was just distributed on tour and to a few independent record stores. "The Taste" is along a similar vein of their first two tracks, while "Bloodlust" shows the more fun, upbeat and carefree side of the band that's hard not to fall in love with.
Next, in February 2015, they released two new singles, "Madonna" and "Spinning Wheel", followed by "Corrine", which came a few months later, backed by the b-side, "Mothership." "Madonna" is probably my favorite of the bunch, but "Corrine" was the first song that I'd heard from the band and I remember liking it so much because the song sounds just like Suck It And See-era Arctic Monkeys, only with female vocals. "Spinning Wheel", on the other hand, is quite feisty and could easily feature in a wild west film.
Finally, they released an EP in April this year, which was made up of four new tracks, "Mocking Swing", "All My Pride", "Headspin" and "On Your Time." "Headspin" is another woozy pop tune, while "Mocking Swing" shows the attitude, playfulness and grit of Phillips' vocals, which hover nicely over the sound of crackling vinyl and a charming electric guitar. I picture the uplifting "On Your Time" as a song that plays over the end credits of a movie after a happy ending while "All My Pride" demonstrates how Phillips' vocals and Ostler's guitar were simply made for each other.
Just this week, they debuted their new single, "Hello Today" on BBC Radio 1 with Huw Stephens and it's definitely the best thing they've released so far. The chorus, particularly the vocals, is just infectious perfection and the guitar solo is life changing. It's also worth mentioning the fact that the verses are just as strong as the chorus, something that rarely ever happens in a song. You can download it this Friday (9/23) and I dare anyone to listen to this song and not become obsessed with Black Honey. It's just impossible! I get really excited when a new band gets better with each single they release and it's not because their earlier stuff is bad or decent because everything they've put out is great, but there's just something special about these new ones. I really hope they decide to cross the Atlantic soon, because the states are in serious need of bands like Black Honey. Make sure you follow them on Twitter here to get future updates from the band.
