honeywhip – “jump in the fire”

Earlier this week, Tokyo-founded, California based indie pop duo honeywhip released their new single “jump in the fire.” Following the stunning singles “kaleidoscoping” and “feel a change” released earlier this year, the new single is a continuation of their bright, nostalgic sound in which they brilliantly utilize synth to evoke the dazzling feeling of perpetual summer. The duo explained the inspiration behind the new track: 

we often are fighting to keep a piece of ourselves hidden. maybe it’s fear or insecurity. maybe it’s our culture telling us to repress and hide those pieces that don’t conform. a little voice inside our heads telling us we won’t be accepted if we show our true selves. it’s exhausting. this is a song about letting go of that impulse to hide. not letting our lives be dictated by the old norms. letting the shadow self run free. loving who we want to love. being weird and just ourselves & owning it.

As is the case with all the songs in honeywhip’s discography, there’s plenty of whimsy and color coursing through “jump in the fire,” but it also effortlessly maintains a subtle undercurrent of self-assuredness and confidence shown through its narrative. “Don’t wanna go back and forth again/ Rehashing things that never happened,” they explain, continuing that despite it all, “there’s peace out there.” With synth evoking the sparkle of glitter, the track is an ode to careful spontaneity, of fearless potential.

“jump in the fire” is out now.

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photo courtesy of artist

honeywhip – “kaleidoscoping”

Earlier this week, Tokyo-founded, Los Angeles based duo honeywhip released their beautiful new single “kaleidoscoping.” It’s the latest addition to their bright, nostalgic discography – alongside our personal favorites “flowers” and “so obvious” – effortlessly evoking, with their skilled use of synth and whimsical effects, the feeling of a warm, slightly fantastical summer’s day. They explained the inspiration behind the new track, which seems to be steeped in mindfulness:

some songs just appear magically. getting lost in some chords and zoning/zenning out a bit. the melody and lyrics came out freely & almost fully formed… like the song was already written and we just caught it floating by. listening to the lyrics now, it feels like the perfect encapsulation of the day making it – a song about sinking into the moment, trusting where ur at, loving the people around you, and knowing ur going to be alright despite all the shit that might come ur way. 

Leisurely yet somehow simultaneously propelled with an inexplicable immediacy, it’s definitely one of the dreamiest tracks honeywhip has ever produced, which is saying something, considering the lush quality of all their tracks. The pacing, of course, echoes the narrative, which encourages patience: “Waiting / For you makes it all feel fine / Time is just kaleidoscoping.” You can almost see the multiple colors within their heart eyes, splitting and multiplying, blending and shifting. Most apparent is the sense of pure contentment that courses through the track – although they claim that waiting, at times, is like “falling,” they still insist: “Don’t catch me / Know that I’m all right.” 

“kaleidoscoping” is out now. 

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photo courtesy of artist

honeywhip – “transients”

Today, Tokyo-founded, Los-Angeles based outfit honeywhip release their gorgeous new single “transients.” According to their bandcamp bio, they make “sad lil bops,” which may be true, but they’re never without without those concentrated moments of sunshine piercing through a narrative dedicated to nostalgia and reminiscing – just take one listen to “flowers”’ or “feels good to laugh,” and immediately you’ll hear their emphasis on the patient and pure. After a brief hiatus following the release of their single “pineapple cloud” in October of last year, the duo has now returned with a track centering on the pain of homesickness: 

Somehow we always end up feeling groundless. We’ve been missing our old apartment in Tokyo and all the things we love about Japan. but also NYC and Portland and LA. All the places we’ve lived before. Somehow we never feel at home until we’re gone and suddenly feel homesick. “transients” is a song about that inescapable feeling. The endless, illusive search for home, connection and stability. That reoccurring dream where you keep waking up right before you get to where you’re going.

Balancing gently on the borders of dream pop and electronica, the track is a tonal dreamscape, mixed to perfection to the point where it’s as if you’re in the room they recorded in – the dual vocals, soft, pronounced, and echoed, float near the saccharine acoustic guitar melody and delicately fade before erupting into the chorus, showcasing vulnerable introspection: “Don’t wanna know about the world anymore / Just wanna go back to how we were before,” he repeats, the same isolated guitar melody growing louder for a split second before fading out once more. 

“transients” is out now.

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photo courtesy of artist

Honeywhip – “Flowers”

Tokyo-founded, Los-Angeles based outfit Honeywhip have returned with yet another stunning single to add to their collection, which, if placed end to end, I’m convinced, would be the complete soundtrack to an afternoon of warm sunshine and impossibly perfect skies with the people you love. Even at their most vulnerable moments, their music has within it an inherent joy that emanates through and through; “Flowers,” their eighth single to date, follows the same beautiful production and heartfelt lyrics – and, much like past singles “Like Ice,” “Vacation,” and “Couldn’t Say It To Your Face,” can be considered anything from dream pop to lo-fi r&b. They explained the inspiration behind the new track to us earlier this week: 

“Flowers” is a song about misfits finding each other, seeing the uniqueness and beauty in someone that they can’t see in themselves, and finally feeling like you belong somewhere. Being half Chinese in Japan and then in America, I always felt like a bit of an outsider, and it took a long time to find my people. 

Like petals swirling in a soft spiral of wind, the crystalline synth within the track floats delicately, and yet still provides ample foundation for the equally gentle vocals to create their own space within the torrent. The chorus, which contains what I believe to be our ultimate favorite verse from Honeywhip, seem to bleed with a near tangible earnestness and hopefulness, the choice metaphor expressing the tension between one’s own identity and their immediate environment: “You were a sunflower/ born in the wild like a weed.” And yet, it just takes one person to show that you not only belong anywhere you desire to be, but that you have just as much of a chance to grow: “could be a blessing, in a way/ that’s what I see. 

“Flowers” is out now.

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Honeywhip – “Like Ice”

Over the past six months, Tokyo founded, Los Angeles based outfit Honeywhip have been releasing track after stunning track, and frankly, we just can’t ignore them any longer. Like their previous tracks – including the bouncy, retro “So Obvious,” the saccharine sweet “Feels Good To Laugh,” and the pining, nostalgic “Think About U” – their most recent track “Like Ice,” released through French label Nice Guys, shows off their combined skill in the dream pop genre, with their own unique little flourishes that make it their own. The duo explained the inspiration behind track earlier this week:

[“Like Ice”] is about finding new reasons to live, and moving through pain and past trauma with the help of community and ritual.  

Charged with a delightfully energetic current that scampers along the melody, either from the buoyant, near-psychedelic guitar work, the futuristic synth, or the super-charged ethereal vocals that emerge within the chorus, the track feels smooth, confident, and insanely catchy, perfect for blistering summer afternoons – and perhaps Honeywhip’s best yet.

“Like Ice” is out now.

 

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photo courtesy of artist