Beach Bunny – Honeymoon

Chicago four-piece Beach Bunny deliver a solid effort on their debut studio album, Honeymoon

Album Review by Pete Wild | 14 Feb 2020
  • Beach Bunny – Honeymoon
Album title: Honeymoon
Artist: Beach Bunny
Label: Mom + Pop
Release date: 14 Feb

Chicago four-piece Beach Bunny have elected to capitalise on the success of their 2019 track Prom Queen – a Courtney Barnett-meets-Veruca Salt cut which has, to date, garnered in excess of 67 million streams – with the Valentine's release of their debut album Honeymoon. And whilst it’s fair to say that the offering has been fine-tuned somewhat (frontwoman Lili Trifilio has all but ditched the Courtney Barnett schtick in favour of a far more direct punk-pop far closer in tone to early Paramore), it’s still a solid effort.

At their best, Trifilio sweetly barks out Weezer-esque choruses (on Promises, Cuffing Season, Colorblind and, perhaps best of all, Ms. California, a much better first single than current choice Dream Boy) against a backdrop of crunchy riffage and tight four by four snare drums. But Beach Bunny want and need you to know they’re more than a pop-punk band.

April could be a final secret track from the majestic The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. Racetrack could be Agnes Obel (in that it’s haunting, quiet and piano-driven and stands out somewhat, like an awkward ex-boyfriend at your wedding). Best of the non-punky offerings is Rearview which we could imagine Phoebe Bridgers covering (in an arch punk-pop style, just to be contrary).

It’s possible that Honeymoon won’t change the world but it’s also possible it'll become the best thing since sliced bread in about five years time. It’s got that ‘possible cross-over/gonna influence the next generation of next big things’ kind of air about it. And if it doesn’t cross over, and if Beach Bunny are not the biggest band in the world by the end of 2020, they could always turn out a cover of Seether, and see if that works for them the way Phoebe Bridgers’ cover of Gigantic worked for her.

Listen to: Cuffing Season, Ms. California, Colorblind

https://www.beachbunnymusic.com