The Honey Month EP

No strangers to wide spread radio play, Brisbane’s The Honey Month debut their brand of rollicking folk-rock with a self-titled EP. 

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It’s a great time to be reviewing records by Brisbane bands if you want to engage in hyperbolic praise. After all, the most successful Brisbane act of this generation have just called it wraps, making it a fantastic time to herald a new act from the Sunshine State’s capital as successors to Powderfinger’s throne. As for Brisbane’s The Honey Month…well, they sound absolutely nothing like Powderfinger…but they’re fucking good nonetheless.

From the opening organ progression of minor hit Foliage to the brass-backed finishing romp of Paper Lips, The Honey Month have succeeded in creating an EP that boldly marks their place as a band worth due consideration. In fact, it’s these two tracks which send the strongest message. Foliage is catchy-as-fuck, just a primed for indie-club audiences in Melbourne as it would be amongst the seated world music throngs of Womadelaide while the accordion driven gypsy undertones of Paper Lips rolls to an incredibly pleasant conclusion. Alongside these clear highlights, there’s just as much going on between the bookends. The Owl battles fiercely strummed ukulele and tinkered toy piano against a pulsing drum beat and the deep moans of choral vocals and sustained organ notes. Meanwhile, Cold Light’s soaring affair sits in opposition to Mother Mercy, an assurance of their ability to piece together softer spoken balladry.

In this EP, The Honey Month have crafted an impressive debut that places them firmly in the company of acts like The Middle East and Jinja Safari as Australia’s new contingent of multi-instrumentalist folk-inspired youths. There’s plenty to get excited about here and their sound - somewhat reminiscent of New York's Beirut - is as attractive and interesting as anything you’re likely to hear debut in this country for the rest of the year.