American shoegaze band The Loud Bangs was one of my favourite discoveries of last year, indeed of the whole time I’ve been running this blog. Prolific as always, I’ve not had to wait long to get the first EP release from them this year either. Their latest is called Stray Honey.
By Graeme Smith
Feature photo by Kim Withers
Stray Honey is about, in a word, sex. Or, more specifically, sexual loneliness. As such, it’s a necessarily visceral collection, full of The Loud Bangs’ trademark scuzzy, experimental shoegaze sound and barely audible vocals.
It all starts with Electroprize, which opens with ambient speech and a droning, dirty guitar note. The vocals echo with a sultry unease before things get heavier, with a percussive beat that feels like quick panting. The first of two singles for the EP, it comes complete with a video which you can check out below.
Sex Complex follows. It’s altogether lighter, with a bright indie pop vibe and delicately seductive vocals. The instrumental groove is reminiscent of ’90s alternative, but seen through a dystopian 2020’s lens. It’s an early highlight and also comes complete with a video.
We All Want to be All Right sits at the heart of the EP as a six and a half minute odyssey. It starts surprisingly stripped back, with soft acoustic guitar and subtle percussion. More canned audio gives some texture and storytelling, speaking of teenage sexual frustration. It’s a highlight.
I’ve featured This Is a Japanese Robot before on the blog as a single, and its celebration of the ’90s Manchester scene feels fitting here as the penultimate track on the EP. Compared to the delicateness of the previous two tracks, it provides a lovely, vibrant, dance-y contrast.
Bell Gardens then closes the EP. It ends things with a spell of spiritual psychedelia that really takes the Loud Bangs’ sound into a pleasing new direction while staying true to their character.
With Stray Honey being The Loud Bangs’ fifth EP in fourteen months, you’d forgive them if their quality had begun to fade. In fact, with this EP the opposite has happened. With each new release, their range and confidence grows. Honestly, the rest of the world should be as excited about this band as I am. You can check out the full EP below.