-=- SHGZ -=-
* Shoegaze * Indie * Post-Rock * Grunge * Dream Pop * Psych-Rock * Ethereal *
ARTIST..: Mad Honey
ALBUM...: Satellite Aphrodite
GENRE...: Indie
STYLE...: Shoegaze, Dream Pop
YEAR....: 2023
LABEL...: Deathwish
COUNTRY.: USA
PLACE...: Oklahoma City, OK
ENCODER.: FLAC 1.3.1 -8 -V
BITRATE.: 873 kbps avg
QUALITY.: 44.1kHz / 2 channels
SOURCE..: CD
TRACKS..: 11
SIZE....: 247.35 MB
URL..: https://madhoney.bandcamp.com/album/satellite-aphrodite
https://ninecircles.co/2023/09/25/rainbows-in-the-dark-mad-honey-satellite-aphrodite
https://freepressokc.com/mad-honey-turn-their-gaze-to-growth-on-satellite-aphrodite
- TRACKLIST
1 Tuff's Last Stand 3:11
2 Heavier Still 3:19
3 Fold 3:15
4 Larkspur 2:43
5 Eileen 4:51
6 E.T.Y.N 4:22
7 R U Feeling It? 2:48
8 Psycho 3:52
9 Kamakura-shi (Kamakura) 3:33
10 Concentration 3:31
11 Satellite Aphrodite 4:04
Total Playtime: 39:29
Mad Honey are a dream-pop band from Oklahoma City, OK. "Satellite Aphrodite"
is the debut album from Mad Honey. The exciting first chapter of a band
destined to be part of the modern indie-rock lexicon for years to come. As
opener "Tuff's Last Stand" emerges, we are transported into Mad Honey's lush
world of musical melancholy. This leads to the hazy and hook laden "Heavier
Still", "Fold", and "Larkspur". Unforgettable songs that showcase a
sophistication deep within Mad Honey's multi-layered approach. At the
midpoint where many albums meander, "Satellite Aphrodite" continues to
ascend. "Eileen", "E.T.Y.N", "R U Feeling It", and "Psycho" all shimmer and
sway with punk heart and pop sensibility unlike anything else out there
today. The acoustic heavy "Kamakura" then playfully brings us to
"Concentration" and poignant title track. Two infectious songs that show Mad
Honey discovering their own youthful creative magic in real time.
*
Mad Honey tragen einen mit ihrem sphΣrischen Debⁿt an andere Orte. Den
Sicherheitsgurt muss man trotzdem nicht anlegen.
Es k÷nnte sein, dass Mad Honey aus Oklahoma mit ihrem Σtherischen Dreampop
bald in h÷chste Indie-SphΣren abheben. "Satellite Aphrodite" hΣlt nΣmlich
vieles bereit, was fⁿr eine wachsende H÷rerschaft sorgen k÷nnte. Etwa der
melancholisch-verhangene, teils Ambient-artige Charakter der Songs samt
schwelgendem Gesang und das dezent eingesetzte und fast kⁿhl wirkende Gerⁿst
aus Gitarren, Bass und Schlagzeug, das auch mal als noisige Wand eingesetzt
wird. Oder das Wechselspiel aus Druck und Entspannung.
Das Sch÷ne an "Satellite Aphrodite" ist aber, dass die Platte nicht bei gro▀
Inszeniertem aufh÷rt, sondern Platz lΣsst fⁿr Extravaganzen wie St÷rgerΣusche
und kleine Produktionskniffs. Die stringente und enigmatische Klangfarbe der
Stimme von SΣngerin Tiff Sutcliffe schafft NΣhe und Distanz zugleich. So
entfaltet sich "Satellite Aphrodite" am stΣrksten in den ruhigen Momenten wie
dem Opener "Tuffs Last Stand" oder "Larkspur".
Insgesamt bietet "Satellite Aphrodite", ver÷ffentlicht auf dem
Hardcore-/Punk-Label Deathwish, von weich geschrammelten Gitarrenballaden bis
zu riff-lastigem Rock vieles. Ein paar Abzⁿge in der B-Note gibt es dennoch.
Klar, der breiige Sound ist ganz offensichtlich gewollt, aber bei Stⁿcken wie
"Eileen" geht er an die Schmerzgrenze. Das Σndert aber nichts daran, dass Mad
Honey mit ihrem Debⁿt ein ausgegorener Auftakt gelungen ist.
*
Recently I found myself exposed, via the power of the internet, to a band.
It's a band who I couldn't help but want to look into further and bring to
your good selves in the hope that you will take from this review and go and
find them for yourselves. That band, my friends, are called Mad Honey, a
five-piece from Oklahoma City, who conjure up sounds and vibes the likes of
which I haven't experienced since the 1990s.
I was initially drawn in by a sound which I had recognised as being very
shoegaze, with a little dream pop in the mix too. It caught my interest
straight away, as usually If it's shoegazy, I will want to explore deeper and
see if it is in any way as rich and emotional as Slowdive. What I found was
that my initial findings were very much only the tip of a vastly bigger
entity, and as well as some Slowdive-esque nuances, it also felt like Slow
Crush at times too.
After a few listens, I found myself drifting away from these comparisons, and
more compelled to lean towards another band entirely. It is a band who were
very active during the '90s, and even though long forgotten by most, for me,
they are still as relevant as ever, and that band is Curve.
While not having all the high intensity elements that Curve have, there is a
feel, a vibe to Mad Honey which really emanates with me those same warm
emotions. Now, I imagine pretty much none of you reading this will remember
Curve, but they were such a big part of my life, the fact that now, in 2023,
ANY band sounds at all like Curve is something to be rejoiced over. Now, I'm
not suggesting that Mad Honey set out to capture Curve's vibe at all, but
inadvertently if they have, this can only be seen as an incredibly good thing
indeed.
So, moving swiftly on from my blatant Curve crush, let's discuss the Mad
Honey debut album Satellite Aphrodite. Its eleven tracks of pure alternative
indie bliss, entwined with some dream pop shoegaze, which will leave you at
peace with the world, and as zen as can be. It's an airy affair for the most
part, but in the best way possible.
Tracks such as album opener Tuffs Last Stand and Satellite Aphrodite, the
album closer, have a cool chilled ambience to them, and on both tracks, there
is a nice summer shoegaze feel. They do a sublime job of both starting and
concluding the album off nicely. The gentle airy acoustic guitar, with a
serene vocal accompaniment on Tuffs Last Stand sets the tone and mood, while
the final track ties off proceedings with a nice, chilled climax.
Throughout the rest of the album, each number pulls at those feelings of
otherworldliness, and within the space of any of the tracks, you can jump
from Curve to Slow Crush, and then to Slowdive within a heartbeat.
That being said, there are elements here which will have you drawing
comparisons to Emma Ruth Rundle, and for me, that is especially true on
Larkspur. It has a darker, more atmospheric vibe, and the transitions from
high to low, nods towards that trademark Ruth Rundle sensibility. On
instrumental sections, it really soars and is full of emotion.
Then there's Eileen for instance which captures a different side of the band
altogether. The otherworldly ambience feels like the more chilled side of
Curve, with its sultry and distorted overtones. For me though, the real
payoff is track two, Heavier Still, track eight, Psycho, and track ten,
Concentration.
I think I'm drawn to Heavier Still and Psycho based on that Curve love, but
also because here is a band who sound unlike anything else which is out right
now. There is something very eclectic about it, but in such a warm fulfilling
way. It is jingle jangly at times, but that's no bad thing, in fact, I think
it adds to the listening experience. It has a charm which seems to be missing
with most music now. This is what I always loved about indie music, it wasn't
supposed to be for the masses, it felt like you had this unique thing all for
yourself, and I get that with Mad Honey so much.
The mix of dreamy vocals over vibrant guitar driven fuzziness works so well,
and truly encompasses everything that makes me feel like home. By parallel,
Concentration really smacks at Slowdive, especially 'new' Slowdive. It's
mature, and shoegaze, and has an indie prog feel to it that is sublime. It
rolls along effortlessly as if drifting on the wind, into explosions of
expression, and for a band who are only now releasing a debut album, it feels
wise beyond its years.
All in all, this long-player is everything to me. Satellite Aphrodite houses
everything I hold dear in music; soul, spirit, and vibe, and at the end of
the day, that's all I want, peace in my soul-
-=- SHGZ -=-
-=-=-==-=-=-
Shoegaze
is a genre of alternative rock that
originated in the late 80s. The genre is very
difficult to define, and it is even more difficult to evaluate music
within it. Generally, the genre is characterized by its
shimmering vocals, reverberating guitars, and
textural distortion that create
a tranquil, opaque
feeling.
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