Honeydrum - Stranger Calls EP on Amdiscs Records

Heard about this one from over at Impose mag, and then Honeydrum wrote to see if I wanted to check out their lost AM radio transmissions pressed on bubblegum pink vinyl and their bonus CD "Do U Party?" and of course I said yes, I party...and I would love to listen to your damaged pop.

"Stranger Calls" (listen below asap) sold me right away, the greatest track, with an Ariel sheen all over it, lots of crazy muddy layers, breathy effects.. literallly those vocalization drum beats... frankly there's no reason Ariel should be the only one out there attempting this, (of course, I just don't want anyone to mistakenly feel like these guys are aping AP or something - keep reading - ed) and HoneyDrum are killing it. Even more impressive, this isn't an easy type of style to just attempt on in a weekend. This is the sound of successful experimentations which means there had to be a lot more failures. There's room for way more of this spunky muffled pop, and this kind of sing along chorus is reaching Round and Round proportions. Dead on, fantastic A-Side track.
"Oh Donna" is coming from a sad lonesome bedroom, just totally monely sound that kills me. I love the fact that 4 track stuff has slowly evolved from a dude and an acoustic guitar into this multilayered dreamy 70s sunday afternoon sound is even better in my book. It's full of crazy warmpth and remains completely mysterious in that you have no idea how they're putting all this complex instrumnetation together. When those big changes come...they have this melody side nailed as well. Chorus Cure synths that go and abruptly change, sounding simultaneously sad and faded polaroid. Can that kind of aesthetic still even be sincere anymore? Instagram etc....well, these guys are doing it. I'm still buying. This is the soundtrack for a new aesthetic.

The B-side, "Suddenly Heaven" features some big drums and that echo solemn guitar line with creepy warble vocals. I thought maybe this is playing at the wrong speed, but it's just a kind of slowed down vocal, really dark, and turning into a recent memory of the future? "Lets Make a Holiday" has some cheap, overmodulated drums, great exagerrated vocals and synths from the dawn of circuitry. All measured out in perfect doses, the fact that it's taking itself this seriously is why it's working. You can hear the palm trees and pink triangles and grey laser backgrounds, feathered hair, striped pop collars...and none of it in an ironic, being assholes kind of way, more nostalgic, kind of reminding yourself, damn that was stupid, but it was my childhood, that's it.
I don't need to go back to it. It's going to stay here on this four song time machine from Honeydrum.

Pick this up from Amdiscs, pressed on crazy classic bubblegum colored vinyl, blinding cotton candy pink, which is perfect for this 8mm flashback.

Check out the "Stranger Calls" track below, the single comes with the "Do U Party CD EP from the band direct...get it.