by Jacob Wingate-Bishop

Honey Now is the sophomore release from Scottish four-piece Neon Waltz. In the band’s own words, there’s some truth in the cliché of the difficult follow-up, particularly given the change-up from six members in the group and a global pandemic. Still, Waltz persevered, offering up an indie rock treat in Honey Now, complete with catchy choruses and Stone Roses-like wonder.

With the home studio of Edwyn Collins and Grace Maxwell to play in, a Scottish castle to record at and the mixing being done for ‘fuck all’ (by producer Andy Britton), the tale behind Honey Now and its creation is almost as novel and full of intrigue as the album itself. Bolstered by the backing of independent record label Fierce Panda, the difficult second album is here, shimmering with the mist-soaked splendour of the band’s homeland itself.

Honey Now opens with the title track, ushering in one of the freshest sounding albums I’ve heard in a long time in ‘Run to the fields with me/ honey now’. The song’s backing synthesisers weave simple, nostalgic melodies, which at once feel open and airy, as well as melancholic. Frontman Jordan Shearer delivers poetic verses with Ian Brown-like vocals.

‘As Good as Gone’ propels the album into all out, fast-paced indie rock, echoing The Killers’ Hot Fuzz era, with ‘The Stranger Things’ serving up some of the crunchier guitar moments on the album, complete with latter-day Oasis’ bittersweet jangle sound.

Honey Now features a lot of what makes indie rock invigorating, with odes from the teenage heart, somewhere between adolescent naivete and touching on something really quite profound. It also packs in catchy choruses, distorted guitars and all, as evident in tracks like ‘A Million People’, ‘Thoughts / Dreams / Regrets’ and ‘All I Need’.

‘Thoughts…’ in particular conjures up soundscapes of 2020’s Imploding the Mirage or Sam Fender’s deliciously cynical debut, whilst also somehow sounding like the natural progression of the Stone Roses. ‘All I Need’ proves an equally addictive summertime anthem, spraying with defiance.

The latest single from the album, ‘When All Is Said and Done’ feels like the obvious choice for Honey Now’s big, standout track, merging the frenetic energy of Elton John on the keys with Monkeys-esque six-string swagger, all wrapped up in an indie pop treat.

Neon Waltz’s second effort closes with ‘This Time Next Year’. It’s the thoughtful climax of the suite; think ‘Somebody Else’s Child’ from the Vaccines’ semi-eponymous debut, ‘The Dying Light’ from Seventeen Going Under or the equal to Sam’s Town’s ‘Exitlude’. This track is quite a bit more hopeful than those, however; in the band’s own words ‘…as obvious as it seems. In a year’s time, everything could be better.’

Honey Now contains some really neat synth and pop rock elements, thrown together with genuine craft and care, while retaining just enough rough edge to keep it ‘indie’. It’s an album as catchy and night out-worthy as it is open and dreamlike, more than once touching on something with a bit more grit and, dare I say, meaning, than perhaps some of the group’s better-known contemporaries.

Honey Now, the second album from Neon Waltz, is available to stream on all platforms. You can also buy the album physically and digitally from their Bandcamp page here: https://neonwaltz1.bandcamp.com/album/honey-now