HONEYBLOOD - Self-Titled LP

Label: Fatcat

Honeyblood's first release, back in 2012, was a long sold-out home-made cassette called ‘Thrift Shop’ (nothing to do with Macklemore). Two years later, the discordant, gorgeous lead track from that first EP, ‘No Spare Key’, crashes in midway through the Glaswegian duo's formidable debut album: a reminder that Honeyblood nailed their grunge-pop ethos from the off.

The pair have been making a ruckus in their home town for a couple of years now, thrashing out guerilla gigs and supporting kindred spirits like Sleigh Bells and Best Coast. No sooner had guitarist/vocalist Stina Tweeddale and drummer Shona McVicar joined forces than they were unleashing some of the raw yet fully-fledged anthems which now form the backbone of their debut album.

You might discern the new wave drawl of Debbie Harry (‘Fortune Cookie’), or the chaotic pop of The Primitives and Throwing Muses (recent single ‘Killer Bangs’). But despite its motley influences, this album works as a terrific whole.