Honeyglaze became a band three days before their first gig, when south London soloist Anouska Sokolow realised she needed backup for her first live show. Bassist Tim Curtis and drummer Yuri Shibuichi, regulars on the local circuit, stepped in and wound up sticking around longer than they initially intended.
The trio’s theatrical style of post-punk, along with Sokolow’s enchanting vocals, which flip from melodic 3am musings to soul-piercing wails, bring to mind Mercury prize winners English Teacher. Sokolow’s hypersensitivity is key to her skill as a lyricist. Shifting between vignettes of indignant wrath and niggling self-doubt, she flits from straightforward statements (“alcohol makes me feel sad/ I want nothing to do with that” in Pretty Girls) to ambiguous disclosures (“I forget I’m ill at ease/ in my femininity/ I thank God for terrestrial TV” in TV).
Honeyglaze’s 2022 self-titled debut was well received, but confident follow-up Real Deal marks a step forward. It’s doused with impressionist flair and heaves with muddled feelings inspired by post-uni malaise and treading water as nascent artists. “Suddenly, I was an adult and was like, ‘Oh god, I need to get a job; I’m not going to be a musician full-time,’” Sokolow told Dork magazine. “I came to realise adult life wasn’t as easy as I’d anticipated.” Might that be about to change?
Real Deal is out now via Fat Possum. Honeyglaze tour the UK from 1 March
