There are occasions when I’m surprised by a release by a Leeds bands I’m unfamiliar with. While I’ve been a little more out of the loop in the last couple of years, I still consider myself fairly au fait with the scene. But I could be forgiven for my lack of familiarity with Honesty, a collective with just 17 followers on Facebook and 82 on X, who, on the back of two singles, have just played their debut show at the legendary Brudenell to coincide with the release of their debut EP.
Forthcoming shows include supporting The Orielles at Hebden bridge Trades Club in December and hitting SXSW.
So when the press release says that ‘The music of HONESTY emerged unexpectedly’, it’s quite an understatement. They go on to detail how their music formed ‘instinctually, almost unconsciously out of weekly gatherings at a studio space called Nave, in the collective’s native Leeds. It’s in this creative cauldron where the core members: George Mitchell, Matt Peel, Josh Lewis and Imi Holmes worked with a revolving cast of collaborators. This egoless approach results in songs that mirror the communal bond of passing the aux cord at a party, or diving into a well curated, diverse playlist.’
The five tracs which make up ‘Where R U’ are eclectic. The electro vibes of latest single cut ‘Nightworld’ brings heavy hints of New Order, with some thick bass and a lot of layers. ‘Mr Speaker’ is altogether gloomier, sparser, more overtly urban, with a strong hip-hop leaning and rapped vocals. On the one hand, it feels gritty, real, but on the other, it feels quite the opposite, a forged formulation, ersatz street vibez a good few years too late.
As unexpected as Honesty’s emergence is just how ‘urban’ this release is: previous single cut ‘U&I’ is dominated by gulping drum thuds and processed vocals, with soaring choral backing, while the more sedate ‘Tune In Tune Out’ (also a previous single) is glitchy, slow, soporific, melodic post-metal flavoured electronica, with rumbling synths and darkness visible all around the edges.
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The last track, ‘Seams’, ups the pace and the energy, and makes a major shift into more Cure-like territory with an insistent bass, the ethereal vocals immersed in a wash of cinematic synths. For my money, it’s the best of the bunch, among a set that’s slick but somewhat lacking in identity.
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