Black Honey explore love and friendship in new single ‘OK’
Indie rock four-piece Black Honey have shared ‘OK’, the latest single from their long-awaited upcoming album A Fistful of Peaches. The band also premiered the track as Clara Amfo’s ‘Hottest Record’ on BBC Radio 1.
Lead singer Izzy Bee Phillips Phillips explained: “‘OK’ is a love story I wrote for my friend who was getting high all the time to dull anxiety. I didn’t want them to be struggling anymore, and this song is like, ‘I will stand by you and if you need a weird 10 mins where you smoke weed after drinking 8 pints till you whitey. If that’s what you need to do, then it’s okay’. It’s too much to expect someone to be happy, so just okay is enough”.
She then continued: “I’m also criticising myself for trying to be a Romeo-style hero when I’m so utterly ill-equipped to help anyone. I also somehow have the feeling of devotional dedication to a person that only rom-coms ever show you, and I didn’t really believe was real.”
The new single is propelled by driving thudding drums with distorted guitar lines. Phillips’ vocals cascade over a pulsating bass before hitting with a real flourish in the chorus. Although songs about love are the bain of many a songwriter, the platonic love between friends perhaps feels less explored. ‘OK’ delivers a rallying cry to be kinder to your younger self. This is a track that fends off the myth that total happiness is ever a permanent and unfaltering state.
A Fistful of Peaches is Black Honey’s most personal, revealing album yet. This is a record that embraces every side: the palatable and the monstrous, the hopeful, the dark and dank. The upcoming release supersedes Written & Directed, an album that showcased the band’s ability to dip into disparate genres. The new album promises that same musical sass that has seen Black Honey easily find a home on stages across the country. But it’s also found a new space that’s less indebted to outside influence – to a sort of cultural mood board of their inspirations – and more just about their real, lived experience in the world.
The first track shared from the album was the powerful opener ‘Charlie Bronson’, arguably their most gnarly effort to date. Not long after came the intoxicating and anthemic ‘Out of My Mind’ showcasing a different side to the band’s capabilities. Then last but not least, the unforgettable intense grunge-infused that is ‘Heavy’. A Fistful of Peaches is due out through FoxFive Records on March 17th.
Back to the single ‘OK’, we also get a brilliant new video directed by Jamie Noise. The video is very art-deco and almost feels like a fever dream. An intensity permeates throughout an imperfect story of devotion brought to life on a backdrop of neon and pastel.
Check out the video below.
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