Reviewed by Lins Honeyman

Dusseldorf-based female quartet Just Like Honey's website suggests that the band's sound encompasses dream pop, indie folk and alternative rock, and their second full length album certainly supports this statement. Reminiscent of late '80s/early '90s bands like the Cowboy Junkies and the Cranberries, there is a quietly brooding feel to this collection of shoegazing songs that refreshingly flies in the face of much of today's formulaic chart fare. Consisting of nothing much more than two guitars, bass and drums to back the wistful and introspective harmonies of Darlene Jonasson and Bianca Yang, Just Like Honey make the most of their limited format by adding gentle distortion and reverb to create a soundscape that has just enough spark to maintain the listener's interest. That being said, the general mid-tempo nature of the album does make it difficult for songs to stick in the memory but it's nothing that a bit more variance in terms of speed, style and instrumentation wouldn't fix. Lyrically, chief songwriter and guitarist Patrick Le Mar keeps matters nice and cryptic with no direct mention of faith or God although the existential "Other Side" does hint at something beyond the grave with the line "What's on the other side?/My pains will be justified." Elsewhere, the somewhat laboured "How To Start A Revolution" attempts to shake things up a bit and the slightly more upbeat "Frail" does allow this discreetly confident album to go out in style.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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