ALBUM REVIEW: II – Honey Joy

Boasting one record so far to their name, HONEY JOY have reached deep for their sophomore effort. In a retreat from her day job as a nurse, following a mental health dip, vocalist and lyricist Meg Tinsley wrote II whilst in recovery. What follows is one of the most intelligent, catchy and honest punk records we at Distorted Sound have heard in quite some time.

Beginning with an explosion of drums and noise, bright upbeat vocals shout-sing the all-to relatable lyrics in Diversion Tactics. “Nothing’s bad, nothing at all – but that makes things harder mostly”. Good, infectious melodies are sung-shouted in Meg’s natural accent and, in true DIY spirit, it seems that this music might be best enjoyed live, but for now, this will have to do. 

Never boring, and often remarkable, the lyricism of this album straddles the divide between being completely unguarded and utterly full of conviction. Nowhere is this better shown than in Finally Home, where Tinsley’s nostalgic voice sings, “and I think I, I can breathe here/Even though it’s in the city air/Even though I’m broke as hell”. This record works more like a stream of consciousness than anything else; all the lyrics seem to materialise as if off the top of Tinsley’s head, and her energy shines through in her observations of her daily routine. 

It’s romanticised, but it’s also realistic, pairing anxiety with joy and mental health with recovery. This makes for a record which shows Tinsley accepting the darkness in herself and the world around her, yet fighting against it through every breath that she draws and each syllable that she sings. The peaks and troughs of her mental state are plumbed with the eloquence of someone who can adequately convey the complex emotions of illness and recovery, and is also always down-to-earth enough that it never comes off as pretentious.

II is like a bruise – full of pretty colours that change and evolve, something quick and full of pain, but leaves you with battle scars at the end to prove that it’s impact lasted much longer than the original punch. We’re predicting big things for this band.

Rating: 9/10

II is out now via Everything Sucks Music.

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