Showing posts with label The Honesty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Honesty. Show all posts

Thursday, December 22, 2011

The Honesty Finding Comfort Here

It's been a little while since we heard anything out of The Honesty, but the silence was broken just a few weeks ago. Coming back with a brand new EP released around Thanksgiving, The Honesty take the first shot as the new EP takes roots in my head and won't let go.
One of the best things about The Honesty's new EP Find Comfort Here is the exploration of new sounds and experimentation with different vocal dynamics than on their previous effort,  The Things We'll Never Know. While the latter was characterized by the lead vocals of Tasha Gilbreath, now the reigns of the lead vocals (as well as all of the EP's instrumentation) are taken over by Michael Davis as The Honesty concoct a new layer of sonic skin to wrap themselves in.

The Honesty's newest EP: Find Comfort Here

Containing just three tracks, Find Comfort Here draws its power from the driving guitars and melodic vocal hooks that made The Things We'll Never Know an immediate must-hear. Now, the with their energy reinvested in the pounding rhythm section married to symphonic guitar prowess, The Honesty come back with an EP that drips in melody and alternative adrenaline.
Track one is "Warning!," and the breathy palm-mutes by Davis are instant ear-candy as his vocals slide easily over the song's mashing rhythms. The drumming in all rock n' roll, a driving thunderstorm of cymbal-crashes and quick snare-cracks. Over as soon as it begins, "Warning!" is the best way for The Honesty to breakout on their newest EP. One of the things that's so great about this song is it goes so quickly only because you're simply unable to distance yourself from the audio-energy dripping out of the computer speakers. As opposed to coming back with an overdone track that begs to be put out of its misery, "Warning!" is a quick POW-POW-CRACK to your senses leaving you doubtless and wanting more.
"Runaway" is no different. Blasting forth from second one with a wall of guitar notes and drums that stand out, The Honesty craft a song that is more than just a filler track for the EP: it continues the energy of "Warning!" without overdoing anything and keeping the sounds of the recording in line. The vocals are smooth, pithy with masses of sultry sexiness thrown in for good measure. "Runaway" is going to be that song that plays all winter, gaining legions of new fans for The Honesty before they even know it.
Rounding out the EP is "The Way Out," a track that relies heavily on rhythmic changes brought on by distorted notes and a resigned but powerful bass. Something about this song just grabs me: it just sounds like winter, and with the cold, dark months just ahead, "The Way Out" is sure to be on repeat for my foreseeable future.
Find Comfort Here chalks up to a clear victory for The Honesty. Through new experimentation married to tried and true traditions, The Honesty reemerge with an EP that focuses the spotlight securely on them. When Find Comfort Here is playing, you simply won't be able to think of anyone else. This band will be all over your radar, invading your senses at every turn. Not bad for an EP just three songs long clocking in at just under ten minutes. Not bad at all. 

Sunday, November 13, 2011

List for the Insomniac

November 13, 2011 -- 12:35 A.M.

1. Schizophrenic Me - WeSurrender
2. Broken - Sound Express
3. I'll Follow You - Andy Gruhin
4. Perfectly Worthless - Darling Parade
5. Only One - The Head
6. Reasons - The Nearly Deads
7. Fall Away - Reapers Riddle
8. Shuttered Off Christine - The Swear
9. Unicorn Escape Pod - Truth Under Attack
10. The Way Out - The Honesty

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

List for the Insomniac

Hey all, hope you guys had a good July, 4th weekend. Here's my new List for the Insomniac. Peace :D

July 6, 2011 -- 12:02 A.M.

1. Used to Be - Have Nots
2. Adrenaline Rush - StartUp 45
3. 364 Day Anniversary - The Things They Carried
4. Unstoppable - Almost Kings
5. Six Days - LOVELOUD
6. Blinking Lights - Volcano Playground
7. Wasting Away - Tonight Alive
8. Intentions - The Honesty
9. I Know You Know - Y Stereo
10. The Movielife - White Rose

Friday, November 19, 2010

Honestly, The Honesty

I could say that I never expected to write about these guys, but I know that's not true. Sooner or later I'm pretty sure I'd have found out about them and given them the write-up they deserve, but I had no idea I'd run into them so quickly and be so impressed. Something about the sound that The Honesty come up with is so unique I can't really even put my finger on it. It's youthful and so full of life, and it's definitely a sound I want to hear more of.
The Honesty have the number one song on Purevolume this week, and after listening to "Intentions" (which features Joel Piper of Confide) it's not hard to see why. "Intentions" has a fantastic sound with a stick-in-your-head chorus and melody that has me humming along long after the song has ender. But I'm getting ahead of myself, let's cover the basics first. 
The story this week is The Honesty, a pop-punk quartet from Palm Springs, California. With the dynamic lineup of Tasha Gilbreath on lead vocals, Aaron Aparicio on guitar, Jeff Harber on guitar, and Mikey Davis on drums, The Honesty are rekindling a pop-oriented punk sound that seems to have been lost among the waves of techno-pop and post-grunge in the last few years, or at the very least the last few months. Even from the very first few seconds, everything about The Honesty's music is drenched in life and indeed attitude, and as the speakers pulse with their tunes and lyrics, a sonic tapestry technicolor in nature seems to materialize before my eyes. One thing I can tell about this band even before getting too far into their playlist is they approach their music from a different angle than so many other artists. But that's something that I love: anything that makes you different and unique can only help you in my opinion.
And now the bottom-line story. The Honesty, who formed in 2009 and have been honing their skills ever since, have a new EP out, and not only is it one they can be very proud of, but it's also up for a free entire download on Purevolume. If I were any of you guys out there, I'd run out and download it now (something I'm definitely going to do) because an amazing deal like this won't last for long. The new EP, titled The Thing We'll Never Know, is, if nothing else, a dynamic first punch at the record industry by The Honesty. "Intentions" features amazing guitar riffs by Aparicio and Harber alike, and the drumming by Davis drives the track through a tunnel of melody and rhythm in a way that seems to have become lost in the current music world. To push it over the top, Gilbreath's vocals are clean and clear, a soothing reminder that smooth and polished vocals can do as much hard-rock damage with as much attitude as coarse and growling screams. Stepping away from the Flyleaf-influenced harsh vocal setting, The Honesty, and indeed Gilbreath in particular, marry the smooth, melodic vocals of Meg & Dia and Paramore to the fretwork and rhythms of Boys Like Girls and Hit the Lights. 
Things continue with "The Reason." But this isn't the slow, moody track that you think of when you hear this title (a possible throwback to Hoobastank's 2005 song of the same title, though only in my opinion). With Gilbreath's vocals on top, Aparicio's and Harber's guitar work so well together that I can't pick one guitar from another, and the resulting riffs intermingle in the best way with Davis's rhythms. I particularly love the clever, sing-along lyrics here: it is most apparent that The Honesty put as much hard work into their writing as they do their instrumentation. Gilbreath's voice cuts through everything like a flame through ice, and as it comes through the speakers, the only thing I can think is that The Honesty have only just tapped the potential I know they are capable of. When you hear a group as cohesive and on their mark as The Honesty are, you just know, as I do, that they're destined for big things.   
The Things We'll Never Know is filled with incredible tracks like "On the Line (Follow Me)," which feature a fantastic group vocal and a harmony that the others might bristle with jealousy over, and "Sold My Soul to Radio," which demonstrates that The Honesty can be just as much attitude-driven as they can be melody-steered. The riff and palm-mutes on "Sold My Soul to Radio," as well as Gilbreath's breathy vocals, push The Honesty's EP higher than I could have ever imagined. With an EP like The Things We'll Never Know under their belts, The Honesty are on their way to the national stage, I can feel it. 
As "In the Shadows" plays for me in the background, I struggle to find words to end on. The Honesty have succeeded in totally and unexpectedly blowing my mind in the course of ten minutes. If they reach every one of their listeners and fans the way they have reached me today, the sky is the limit for them. I know we're going to be seeing great things from this group, and I'm more than a little excited to see just how much they have to offer. I'm sure we'll soon find out.  

Sounds Like: Paramore, Meg & Dia, Tegan and Sarah, Boys Like Girls

Key Tracks from The Things We'll Never Know: "Intentions," "The Reason," "Sold My Soul to Radio," "Warning!"

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