Honey Revenge have grown up, dusted themselves off in the wake of their debut and decided to make a sophomore album that’s (nearly) entirely dance bangers. What more can you ask for from our favourite pop-rock duo? They’re still walking the line between guilty pleasure therapy delivered via clubbing and rock audacity, but now there’s a maturity in their vision and a joy in surviving life’s tragedies. ‘Loving And Losing’ takes what ‘Retrovision’ started and skips off with it, and we’re along for the ride.
It’s not exactly a surprise that a band who’ve cited Hannah Montana as an influence are all about the classic pop, and the naughties-nightclub energy has been turned up for ‘Loving And Losing’. What makes Honey Revenge so much more interesting is their adult take on the sound compared to both the original era and the current crop of Disney artists. Take ‘Sunday Scaries’: it’s the song for adults who remember the euphoria of a teenage night out, but now their attempts to party are hampered by remembering that the bins need to go out in the morning. It’s a song for real life and real people who still want a measured dose of nightclub escapism from a band who get it. ‘Poison Apple’ is a song inhabiting the demilitarised zone between Britney and Gaga, but with a presence which explains why the Warped Tour crowd have embraced Honey Revenge, and it’s their sincere love of the pop they’re making which makes them exciting. There’s no irony, but there is a whole lot of human understanding.
The vulnerability which marked Honey Revenge’s debut is gone now, to be replaced with personal growth and an acknowledgement of progress. ‘Jealousy Monster’ twists between bitterness and strength in trying to overcome personal issues: it’s the flawed girl anthem for everyone who’s having to unpick their personality from their issues but wants to put the therapy struggle on hold to dance. It’s immediately followed by the almost P!nk style ‘Trust Issues’. And all of a sudden, Honey Revenge seem very human when dealing with the same baggage as the rest of us. It’s rare to find a band so incredibly self-aware, who mix artificial pop production with some intensely relatable confessions. ‘Sorry Much’, a track which exemplifies the Revenge in Honey Revenge, is the perfect example of this mix of the real and unreal, and they’re clearly flourishing in their role as pop-rock cyborgs.
There are two songs here which are so different from the rest of the album, and both are different kinds of revelation. ‘Butterfly Effect’ surely hints at their next direction: there’s no confessional element, but the fantastical power anthem side to their sound is pushed to the front with a neo-disco-future energy. Are they going to build on their ability to make chords soar and synths escalate and switch to delivering festival gold that’ll pulse against a sunset in a field somewhere? Nothing is out of the question with Honey Revenge. The title track is the biggest surprise though. If anyone had “quiet, acoustic bereavement tribute” on their bingo card, then they’ve won a prize…and that prize is a devastating little song written in the wake of vocalist Devin Papadol’s grief at losing her father. It’s a window to an incredibly private moment for her, and closing out with a recording of her dad saying how proud he is of her is a gut-wrenching moment.
Honey Revenge have never been “just” a pop band. Their last record showed that pop was just the medium that they chose to carry some serious personal honesty, and now they’re in a different place emotionally, they’ve got even more to explore. ‘Loving And Losing’ is an album for dancing away your problems, while still processing them in the background, and it’s a genuine and vibrant listen.
Kate Allvey