Honeyvein: Honeyvein

Honeyvein, while through their name alluding to a band, is actually the solo endeavour of Norwegian Bastian Veland, who some may know from his work with Dobbeltgjenger or Ossicles. Here, he is helped out on a handful of tracks by drummer Sondre Veland and singers Vegard Wikne and Lydia Haugan Helland. In terms of sound Honeyvein are everywhere, a grind of industrial smashing along next to an indie sway and a strongly beating pop heart. Think The Hives meets a less uncompromising Nine Inch Nails, but with a howl of garage rock thrown in for good measure, and you’ll probably be no nearer knowing what this self titled outing sounds like, and yet that description is still apt.

The lack of willingness to drop this music into a neat genre bag is undoubtedly commendable and it makes initial encounters with this album a little difficult to come to terms with but stay the course and it does settle down. For me it’s been that settling down that actually proves the biggest issue, because once the surprise passes of “Get There� being a really clever pop ditty buried under electronic uncompromise, it leaves a less than satisfying feeling that somewhere within the intentional melee might just lie a good song. With “Dust� another pure, modern, pop pulse that tries to add a dangerous edge that never feels all that lethal, the tone is set and in truth it’s one that kind of just sits there being all things to no one. In the end I’m left wondering just what part of the bouncing, but grating “Shitshell� I’m meant to get my teeth into. It’s not hammer hitting harsh enough to become aggressive, but then with huge electronic beats and gnarly guitars, neither is it allowed to be catchy enough to stick in the mind, and while I stand by the assertion that I’ll commend the desire to be different here, I find it all vaguely irritating.

I’m guessing that Honeyvein are intended as a love it or loathe it exercise. In fairness, while I say this isn’t one thing or the other, neither does it sit in middle ground. Personally, I admire that ethos, but certainly can’t get excited by the end results, even if I love the Tin-Tin inspired cover art.

Track Listing
1. Traditions Abandoned
2. The Pulp
3. White Knuckles
4. Get There
5. Superplastic
6. Alleviator
7. Dust
8. Norwegian Squares
9. Negativity
10. Shitshell
11. Linger
12. Forever And A Day

Added: April 7th 2023
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Honeyvein @ facebook
Hits: 300
Language: english

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