ALBUM REVIEW: III – Honey Joy
On their appropriately titled third album III, London punks HONEY JOY cover everything from how having opinions and feelings is a struggle if you don’t know how to discuss them clearly to the raw emotions that music can produce. Ever since their formation in 2015, the band have been building an ever-growing fanbase by touring throughout the UK, and particularly with the release of their 2017 self-titled debut album and 2020’s II. They have already pushed themselves both lyrically and sonically, but will they reach new heights on this album?
The simple answer is yes. Even though it is only 25 minutes long, III shows that quality over quantity is key. Whilst short songs are a staple of punk music, the band really don’t waste any time getting to the point with the fast-paced opening song Ready Now, which still doesn’t sound rushed even though it clocks in at less than two minutes. Next track Never Better is longer than the first song but don’t be fooled, the band still make the most of the runtime by giving equal room to the instruments and the vocals.
Lead single Language is a short and urgent song about how important it is to be able to articulate how you feel and what a struggle it is when you don’t have the words, whereas Live 100% is another fast-paced punk song about how life is fragile. The album itself does a fantastic job of allowing each song to have its own time to shine whilst also sounding cohesive. Even though the majority of the songs are short, it is a testament to the production that they do not sound rushed or unfinished.
Sonically, the album is driven by the instruments. Are You Still Having Fun? is a guitar-driven song, whereas Expectations is a drum-driven song. But the standout both lyrically and sonically is the album’s closer Thursdays At 8pm. It’s about how ordinary people and the NHS were affected by the COVID pandemic, and the lyrics are raw and emotional as it describes the pain that many people went through with being unable to say goodbye to loved ones. It’s a powerful closing song and one of the best that HONEY JOY have ever written.
Overall, III shows HONEY JOY going from strength to strength with a fantastic third effort. Whilst the majority of the songs are short, which is natural for a punk album, the band show that quality over quantity is the most important thing as they cover a lot of topics in only ten songs. Sonically, the fast-paced instruments carry the album along, although they never overwhelm the vocals, which is important as the lyrics are very raw and honest. It’s cohesive even though it is fast-paced, and ultimately it shows why HONEY JOY are one of the most exciting punk bands out there.
Rating: 9/10
III is out now via Everything Sucks Music.
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