South London punks Honey Joy are back with their latest single, "Penelope", from their upcoming third album III, set to be released on 5 July via Everything Sucks Music.
This driving composition is an impassioned love letter to the friends who become an integral part of our lives. As the band describes, it's about "missing someone growing up. Missing those soulmate friends." Notably, "Penelope" is the first song that new guitarist Will Hattersley brought to the band.
Honey Joy's new album III promises to be a heartfelt and rumbustious exploration of raw emotions. The first track they revealed from the album, "Language", speaks on "how having opinions and feelings is pointless or damaging if you can't learn to articulate them," according to vocalist Megan Tinsley. Guitarist Matt Tinsley adds, "I’ve been playing around with this idea since our first album. After showing it to Jay (Jason Cavalier - drums), he suggested we stop swinging the rhythm and make it more Tom Petty, and here we are."
Throughout III, Honey Joy delve into various themes with tracks like "Ready Now", which highlights the desire to live life fully without compromise, and "Live 100%", which tackles chronic health and mental health frustrations in "Never Better". The album closes with "Thursdays at 8pm", a powerful critique of the government’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. Megan expresses her outrage: “I can honestly only describe it as negligence and gaslighting. I will never forget.” Matt adds, “I lost my Grandad to Covid. He passed away alone due to government negligence, a memory that remains painful and enraging. Meg’s work as a nurse during Covid and her lyrics in this song are something I think he would be really proud of. Fuck this government a million times over.”
III was recorded with Wayne Adams at BearBitesHorse in East London, close to where the band recorded their second album, II, Honey Joy humorously note, “There’s a pretty great falafel place down the road.” This album marks their first recording with new guitarist Will Hattersley.
With a history spanning nine years, Honey Joy have performed across the UK, Europe, and the USA, sharing stages with bands like Martha, Marked Men, and Radiator Hospital.
Save the date for III, and watch the visualiser for “Penelope”:
Upcoming live dates
5th July @ Signature Brew Haggerston
6th July @ East Street Tap Brighton
11th July @ Watford - venue TBA
12th July @ Dubrek Studios, Derby
13th July @ The Red Shed, Wakefield
14th July @ Two By Two Brewery, Newcastle
