Honeyblood’s 2014 debut would have been a stronger proposition had it not been so indebted to Best Coast’s brand of upbeat surf-indie. A line-up change for the follow-up, with Cat Myers having replaced Shona McVicar on drums, doesn’t signal a huge departure: the midtempo songs are relentlessly sunny, at odds with the conflict-ridden lyrics; sugar-rush choruses are arrived at swiftly and adeptly; Stina Tweeddale’s vocals still recall those of – yes! – a Caledonian Bethany Cosentino. But things are less predictable when they deviate from their template: Hey, Stellar finds Tweeddale cutting down on the bravado and is lovely for it. Cruel and Gangs, however, are more laboured. As a whole, it’s derivative, but (mostly) enjoyable.
