Label: Foxfive Records
Released: 17th March 2023
British alternative’s favourite scrappy underdogs, Black Honey are at it again as they shred insane guitars and belt phenomenal tracks that delve deep. Their third full-length offering, ‘A Fistful of Peaches’ is intensely charged with Izzy Bee Phillips’ unabashed self-analyses and explorations of her mental health while carrying the band’s long-standing charisma and innate coolness.
Where their 2021 release ‘Written & Directed’ put an almost blasé filter of rock and rollishness on the topic of mental health, this record is far more exploratory with Izzy working toward accepting help and developing an understanding of her own needs. Lyrically little is camouflaged as she sings in ‘Bummer’, “Don’t love myself like another. Got high like a bummer. Take that medication while self-deprecating.”
Despite the weight of their words, none of these songs are melancholic. In fact, each track is imbued with enough of guitarist Chris Ostler’s heavy riffing to deck out even the most earnest self-reflection. The result is a mixture of humble pie and braggadocious soup that’s teaming with Black Honey’s usual debonair.
‘Tombstone’ sees the band in their element, blasting open with delightfully overbearing strings that soon find themselves snapped into a fun mix of riffing and wild drum fills. All the while, Izzy flaunts remarkable confidence in recounting her insecurities. It’s nothing short of tantalising, hitting every serotonin-releasing node of your brain.
Black Honey display an abundance of character throughout ‘A Fistful of Peaches’ – whether the character is radical rock band or nostalgic references to YouTube videos from 2007.
