Honeyblood

Emerging from Glasgow's fertile indie breeding ground with a sound both in thrall to the sweetness and light of 60s girl groups and the melodic squall of noise-pop, new duo Honeyblood are living proof of the adage that two's company and three's a crowd.

Picking away at the DIY coalface for a number of years under various different guises, Stina Tweedale (vocals, guitar) and Shona McViccar (drums), marked their foray last year with a show at The Old Hairdressers in Glasgow, to coincide with the release of their two-track cassette 'Thift Shop'. They recorded it in their kitchen with one mic.

"We'd been in bands with boys before and wanted to do it on our own" explains Stina in her hushed-tone Glasgwegian accent. They were drawn together by their mutual desire to form an all-girl gang. "There's definitely a solidarity amongst female bands because there aren't many of us around really! But at the same time it's totally about what kind of music they're playing; if they're good, that's all that matters at the end of the day."

Namechecking current favourites PINS and London five-piece PARLOUR, Stina waxes lyrical about the palpable influence of American bands on their aesthetic. Indebted to sonic forbearers Best Coast and Frankie Rose, as well as luminaries like The Breeders and Throwing Muses, she says they have all the time in the world for chart heroines Haim.

As fate would have it, Honeyblood are readying themselves for a stateside trip-of-a-lifetime. They head to Connecticut next month to record their debut LP, out early next year on Brighton indie mainstay FatCat Records. "We're super excited, of course! It will be an amazing environment for us and obviously a dream come true if we could play some shows out there."

Honeyblood unleashed their first single 'Bud' into the wild last month. Out on 7" proper November 4th and recorded by the prolific Rory Atwell (Veronica Falls, Palma Violets, TRAAMS), it's a jangling, swooning, bittersweet nocturne, complemented by the emotive, roughed-up love charm 'Kissing On You' on the flipside. "Bud is about losing a battle but you just keep on fighting; even though you know that you're losing and you can't stop," says Stina of the single.

Currently dividing their time between London, Brighton and Glasgow, Honeyblood have already supported the likes of Deap Valley and Sleigh Bells. Before getting to grips with the US, they flex their live muscles on a UK jaunt. Stay tuned.

Honeyblood are on tour at the end of October
- District MTV

Emerging from Glasgow's fertile indie breeding ground with a sound both in thrall to the sweetness and light of 60s girl groups and the melodic squall of noise-pop, new duo Honeyblood are living proof of the adage that two's company and three's a crowd.

Picking away at the DIY coalface for a number of years under various different guises, Stina Tweedale (vocals, guitar) and Shona McViccar (drums), marked their foray last year with a show at The Old Hairdressers in Glasgow, to coincide with the release of their two-track cassette 'Thift Shop'. They recorded it in their kitchen with one mic.

"We'd been in bands with boys before and wanted to do it on our own" explains Stina in her hushed-tone Glasgwegian accent. They were drawn together by their mutual desire to form an all-girl gang. "There's definitely a solidarity amongst female bands because there aren't many of us around really! But at the same time it's totally about what kind of music they're playing; if they're good, that's all that matters at the end of the day."

Namechecking current favourites PINS and London five-piece PARLOUR, Stina waxes lyrical about the palpable influence of American bands on their aesthetic. Indebted to sonic forbearers Best Coast and Frankie Rose, as well as luminaries like The Breeders and Throwing Muses, she says they have all the time in the world for chart heroines Haim.

As fate would have it, Honeyblood are readying themselves for a stateside trip-of-a-lifetime. They head to Connecticut next month to record their debut LP, out early next year on Brighton indie mainstay FatCat Records. "We're super excited, of course! It will be an amazing environment for us and obviously a dream come true if we could play some shows out there."

Honeyblood unleashed their first single 'Bud' into the wild last month. Out on 7" proper November 4th and recorded by the prolific Rory Atwell (Veronica Falls, Palma Violets, TRAAMS), it's a jangling, swooning, bittersweet nocturne, complemented by the emotive, roughed-up love charm 'Kissing On You' on the flipside. "Bud is about losing a battle but you just keep on fighting; even though you know that you're losing and you can't stop," says Stina of the single.

Currently dividing their time between London, Brighton and Glasgow, Honeyblood have already supported the likes of Deap Valley and Sleigh Bells. Before getting to grips with the US, they flex their live muscles on a UK jaunt. Stay tuned.

Honeyblood are on tour at the end of October
- District MTV

Swiftly following their already revealed, Rory Atwell produced, track ‘Bud’, Glasgow duo Honeyblood have a brand new video.

BEST FIT PREMIERE One half of a double A-Side single due out next month, ‘Bud’ is possessed of a deep charm; its country rhythms mixing perfectly with a keen pop sensibilities. Stina Tweeddale’s vocals certainly have an air of Bethany Cosentino about them, providing a subtle undercurrent of darkness to proceedings while Shona McVicar’s drums provide a strong, straight backbone for the tracks meandering guitar hooks.

The video, shot in a mansion house just outside of Hereford and directed by Camille Benett, is “a weird dreamy wonderland” Stina explained to us. “We wanted to recreate the feel of ‘Daisies‘. That film inspired us a lot. Camille also loves it so we both had a very similar vision and I think that the video portrays that. It fits with the bittersweet ideal that ‘Bud’ is.”

It’s pretty damn twee – all tea cups and woodland frolics – but we love it anyway.

Honeyblood will release their debut 7? single ‘Bud’ / ‘Kissing On You’ on the 4 November via FatCat.You can pre-order it here. - The Line of Best Fit

You know you're climbing up the music industry ladder when you find yourself at a festival in a foreign land being interviewed by one of its national media outlets.

The thing is, the questions they ask might throw you a curveball. Such was the case when Glasgow duo Honeyblood made their first trip abroad earlier this year, to play a gig at Tallinn Music Week.

"We had an interview over there, and they kept asking us 'What is your favourite Estonian band?' says guitarist and singer Stina Tweeddale. "Uhmmmm..."

"What about that Estonian Taylor Swift?" drummer Shona McVicar suddenly remembers.

"She was amazing," agrees her band-mate. "She had these burly guys with really long blond hair playing guitars. They were so good. Check out Estonian music!"

This exchange – which takes place in the downstairs bar in King Tut's – tells you a fair bit about Honeyblood. That their sentences often spill over each other. That they're starting to get noticed as a band. That Stina and Shona (surnames are superfluous on their Facebook, Bandcamp and SoundCloud sites) are having a lot of fun at the moment.

That fun is set to continue now they've been named as one of the 16 bands, whittled down from about 1200 demo entries, to play the T Break Stage at this year's T in the Park. As far as they're concerned, though, this trip to Balado is as much to do with who they can go and see as who'll come and see them.

"I'd be really gutted if we were on at the same time as Haim," says Shona. "That would be the worst thing that could happen."

"We don't know the times of anybody else yet," Stina points out. "We only know we're on at 6pm on Friday."

"We'll just cross our fingers," Shona sighs.

It's interesting that they namecheck Haim, the three-sister-fronted band from Los Angeles. I was afraid I would be pigeonholing Honeyblood had I suggested the likes of The Breeders, Hole, Deap Vally and, indeed, Haim as peers and inspirations. But they certainly are.

"I'm not saying that we like any female band," argues Shona, "but Haim are cool chicks and they play their music well."

"I didn't get the first single at all when it came out," admits Stina, "but I went to see them at Stereo and their live show was just amazing. One of the best live bands of all last year."

The fact that Honeyblood are a rather fashionable-at-the-moment guitar/drummer combo is something that came about more by accident than design. Stina, originally from Edinburgh, had previously played in another Glasgow band, Boycotts (who themselves made it to the T Break Stage in 2011). But that wasn't working out and early last year she was ready to form a new band as the outlet for her songwriting abilities. Shona came in as founder member, dropped out for a while as Rah Morriss filled the drummer's seat, then came back on board. But it always remained the same two-person, no-bass set-up.

"It wasn't planned that way," insists the drummer. "But more and more band practices happened and it was still just the two of us-"

"To be honest, if at the start we'd found a girl who played bass and another girl who played guitar and a girl who played keys, we'd have taken them on," adds Stina. "But it's good and we've made it work and now we're comfortable with the way we are."

Don't they miss what a bass player could bring to their sound?

"I think I just hit my bass drum - tons!" says Shona enthusiastically. "If we had a bass player, I'd have to – woah! – calm it down."

"If we found the right person-" Stina begins. "It's not like you have to be a girl to join the band. It's more the fact that – you have to wear skirts."

"Loads of boys have been like, 'Ah, you need a bass player. I can do that.' Well, I kind of want someone who can sing high harmonies, not with a manly, husky voice. Sorry."

On the blogs and in print, Honeyblood have been compared with Blood Red Shoes, Best Coast, Rilo Kiley, The Lemonheads and others. They describe their style as "crunchpop"; I reckon there's a slacker groove with a better sense of verse/chorus dynamics to the songs they've put out on the internet so far (a debut single proper isn't likely to arrive until August).

The Honeyblood song that most caught my ear while serving on the T Break judging panel was Super Rat, as much for its grrrl power singalong chorus as its viciously dismissive lyrics ("I will hate you forever/ I will hate you forever/Scumbag, sleaze, slimeball, grease/You really do disgust me").

Appearing at T in the Park next month should give Honeyblood the boost they deserve. A longer setlist is shaping up as the songs - Herald Scotland

You know you're climbing up the music industry ladder when you find yourself at a festival in a foreign land being interviewed by one of its national media outlets.

The thing is, the questions they ask might throw you a curveball. Such was the case when Glasgow duo Honeyblood made their first trip abroad earlier this year, to play a gig at Tallinn Music Week.

"We had an interview over there, and they kept asking us 'What is your favourite Estonian band?' says guitarist and singer Stina Tweeddale. "Uhmmmm..."

"What about that Estonian Taylor Swift?" drummer Shona McVicar suddenly remembers.

"She was amazing," agrees her band-mate. "She had these burly guys with really long blond hair playing guitars. They were so good. Check out Estonian music!"

This exchange – which takes place in the downstairs bar in King Tut's – tells you a fair bit about Honeyblood. That their sentences often spill over each other. That they're starting to get noticed as a band. That Stina and Shona (surnames are superfluous on their Facebook, Bandcamp and SoundCloud sites) are having a lot of fun at the moment.

That fun is set to continue now they've been named as one of the 16 bands, whittled down from about 1200 demo entries, to play the T Break Stage at this year's T in the Park. As far as they're concerned, though, this trip to Balado is as much to do with who they can go and see as who'll come and see them.

"I'd be really gutted if we were on at the same time as Haim," says Shona. "That would be the worst thing that could happen."

"We don't know the times of anybody else yet," Stina points out. "We only know we're on at 6pm on Friday."

"We'll just cross our fingers," Shona sighs.

It's interesting that they namecheck Haim, the three-sister-fronted band from Los Angeles. I was afraid I would be pigeonholing Honeyblood had I suggested the likes of The Breeders, Hole, Deap Vally and, indeed, Haim as peers and inspirations. But they certainly are.

"I'm not saying that we like any female band," argues Shona, "but Haim are cool chicks and they play their music well."

"I didn't get the first single at all when it came out," admits Stina, "but I went to see them at Stereo and their live show was just amazing. One of the best live bands of all last year."

The fact that Honeyblood are a rather fashionable-at-the-moment guitar/drummer combo is something that came about more by accident than design. Stina, originally from Edinburgh, had previously played in another Glasgow band, Boycotts (who themselves made it to the T Break Stage in 2011). But that wasn't working out and early last year she was ready to form a new band as the outlet for her songwriting abilities. Shona came in as founder member, dropped out for a while as Rah Morriss filled the drummer's seat, then came back on board. But it always remained the same two-person, no-bass set-up.

"It wasn't planned that way," insists the drummer. "But more and more band practices happened and it was still just the two of us-"

"To be honest, if at the start we'd found a girl who played bass and another girl who played guitar and a girl who played keys, we'd have taken them on," adds Stina. "But it's good and we've made it work and now we're comfortable with the way we are."

Don't they miss what a bass player could bring to their sound?

"I think I just hit my bass drum - tons!" says Shona enthusiastically. "If we had a bass player, I'd have to – woah! – calm it down."

"If we found the right person-" Stina begins. "It's not like you have to be a girl to join the band. It's more the fact that – you have to wear skirts."

"Loads of boys have been like, 'Ah, you need a bass player. I can do that.' Well, I kind of want someone who can sing high harmonies, not with a manly, husky voice. Sorry."

On the blogs and in print, Honeyblood have been compared with Blood Red Shoes, Best Coast, Rilo Kiley, The Lemonheads and others. They describe their style as "crunchpop"; I reckon there's a slacker groove with a better sense of verse/chorus dynamics to the songs they've put out on the internet so far (a debut single proper isn't likely to arrive until August).

The Honeyblood song that most caught my ear while serving on the T Break judging panel was Super Rat, as much for its grrrl power singalong chorus as its viciously dismissive lyrics ("I will hate you forever/ I will hate you forever/Scumbag, sleaze, slimeball, grease/You really do disgust me").

Appearing at T in the Park next month should give Honeyblood the boost they deserve. A longer setlist is shaping up as the songs - Herald Scotland

Name: Honeyblood
Based: Glasgow
Listen: soundcloud.com/honeyblood
Similar to: Best Coast

Honeyblood are singer/guitarist Stina Tweeddale and drummer Shona McVicar from Glasgow. Their first EP ‘Thrift Shop' was recorded in a bathroom (the very definition of lo-fi, surely) and fifty copies were released on cassette tape only to be sold out almost immediately.

The duo make heartfelt, dreamy, garage rock songs with the kind of lyrical content that will speak to many. On Honeyblood’s latest effort ‘Super Rat’, Stina sings in a veiled way about a relationship gone bad. The lyrics are soundtracked by a big guitar sound the band describe as “Crunchpop”. It's a description that fits nicely: There is most definitely a certain crunch to their otherwise "spiky" guitar-led efforts.

Honeyblood play Henry Cellar’s Bar in Edinburgh on the 21st July and Brighton's Green Door Store on the 27th July.
- DIY

Name: Honeyblood
Based: Glasgow
Listen: soundcloud.com/honeyblood
Similar to: Best Coast

Honeyblood are singer/guitarist Stina Tweeddale and drummer Shona McVicar from Glasgow. Their first EP ‘Thrift Shop' was recorded in a bathroom (the very definition of lo-fi, surely) and fifty copies were released on cassette tape only to be sold out almost immediately.

The duo make heartfelt, dreamy, garage rock songs with the kind of lyrical content that will speak to many. On Honeyblood’s latest effort ‘Super Rat’, Stina sings in a veiled way about a relationship gone bad. The lyrics are soundtracked by a big guitar sound the band describe as “Crunchpop”. It's a description that fits nicely: There is most definitely a certain crunch to their otherwise "spiky" guitar-led efforts.

Honeyblood play Henry Cellar’s Bar in Edinburgh on the 21st July and Brighton's Green Door Store on the 27th July.
- DIY

Lead singer Stina Tweeddale shares her thoughts on latest projects and the origins of Honeyblood

They were recently announced as one of the 16 bands invited to play the T Break stage at this year’s T in the Park, festival. Their scattering of songs has trickled onto the internet stealthily but surely during the last twelve months, and hunger pangs have been heard online for the band's debut album – although those ravenous will have to wait until August before they are served up Honeyblood's first LP.

The eagle-eyed amongst you will have realised that founding member Shona McVicar recently refilled the drumming post vacated by Rah Morriss, but it was the band's other half, leading lady Stina Tweeddale, with whom we talked about the band's roots, woman's rights and why Kate Bush should be worshipped...

A belated happy birthday - Honeyblood is now in its teenage years (if we’re counting in months). Any adolescent dramas or strops been thrown yet?
Loads! We are so stroppy. But we're a happy pair!

You've been getting The List excited ever since we unearthed your demo last year. You've had a busy year, supporting Mazes, Deap Vally, Sleigh Bells, plus playing the Vice party and The List’s first Breakout night. There's been a lot of buzz about the band, topped off with a SAMAs nomination, and now a T Break spot. What’s been the highlight so far?
We’re not long back from playing our first show abroad at Tallinn Music Week. That was definitely a highlight. In the UK, it has to be our headline show at King Tut’s during New Year's Revolution. We got to play new songs at that show, and it was nice to see that a few people came to support us. Sleigh Bells was our first big support so that was a huge step for us. Also, we became pals with PINS and Mazes after we gigged them so those shows were really fun too.

Stina, with Honeyblood’s sound, your Boycotts days seem far behind you. Obviously, as an artist, you evolve and embrace new music and influences as time passes, but what happened for the Honeyblood sound to materialise?
Honeyblood has been materialising since I was thirteen. I got my first guitar at 12 and was writing my own songs in a teenage girl/boy band in the vein of Hole, L7, Babes in Toyland etc until my mid-teens. When I moved to Glasgow, I wanted to start a new band and formed Boycotts. I had a lot less control over the music because I never once wrote a guitar part. I guess, it was Boycotts that was the evolution and Honeyblood had always been there.

I think our main influences are really obvious. For example, The Breeders, PJ Harvey, Best Coast... and someone recently said we reminded her of Rilo Kiley which made my day. I have such a crush on Jenny Lewis.

The early Honeyblood tracks were heavy in distortion, and since then, you’ve forged a more distinctive sound, with your vocals more pronounced and lucid. Can we expect your vocals to be static-laden on any new tracks?
We did the tape that way because we didn't really have any other way to do it. It was a fluke! The whole thing just worked out okay, which I love. It was a jam in a bathroom that we pressed play to.

Mini fact/ tenuous link: Christina is the Latin feminine form of Christian. If you had to worship someone, who would it be and why?
I'm not religious, but I do have a favourite Saint Kateri Tekawitha, also known as Lily of The Mohawks. She was canonised last year which made me really happy. I guess I'd probably say Kate Bush if I had to worship someone, she's heavenly.

Your recent activity has shown you've been quite supportive of women's rights, reiterating and embracing the importance of femininity. Do you feel that gender is still a massive issue in the UK today?
I'm glad that Honeyblood can support women's rights in a positive way. I think from a musician's point of view, my experience from being in Boycotts and then picking up a guitar and playing in Honeyblood have shaped my views on the attitudes towards female performers. I have always stated that we're two girls who play loud music, because we are and that's what we do.

If so, does this come through in any of the songs?
I think 'Super Rat' may have given people an opinion on how we feel about that sort of thing, but never once do I mention in that song that the 'rat' is a guy.

We have a song called 'Choker' which is based on a short story by Angela Carter called ‘The Bloody Chamber’. Carter was known as a feminist writer.

Yeah, 'Super Rat' doesn’t pull any punches whatsoever, does it? Yikes. What would make us get on the bad side of you girls?
Arseholes. - The List

Lead singer Stina Tweeddale shares her thoughts on latest projects and the origins of Honeyblood

They were recently announced as one of the 16 bands invited to play the T Break stage at this year’s T in the Park, festival. Their scattering of songs has trickled onto the internet stealthily but surely during the last twelve months, and hunger pangs have been heard online for the band's debut album – although those ravenous will have to wait until August before they are served up Honeyblood's first LP.

The eagle-eyed amongst you will have realised that founding member Shona McVicar recently refilled the drumming post vacated by Rah Morriss, but it was the band's other half, leading lady Stina Tweeddale, with whom we talked about the band's roots, woman's rights and why Kate Bush should be worshipped...

A belated happy birthday - Honeyblood is now in its teenage years (if we’re counting in months). Any adolescent dramas or strops been thrown yet?
Loads! We are so stroppy. But we're a happy pair!

You've been getting The List excited ever since we unearthed your demo last year. You've had a busy year, supporting Mazes, Deap Vally, Sleigh Bells, plus playing the Vice party and The List’s first Breakout night. There's been a lot of buzz about the band, topped off with a SAMAs nomination, and now a T Break spot. What’s been the highlight so far?
We’re not long back from playing our first show abroad at Tallinn Music Week. That was definitely a highlight. In the UK, it has to be our headline show at King Tut’s during New Year's Revolution. We got to play new songs at that show, and it was nice to see that a few people came to support us. Sleigh Bells was our first big support so that was a huge step for us. Also, we became pals with PINS and Mazes after we gigged them so those shows were really fun too.

Stina, with Honeyblood’s sound, your Boycotts days seem far behind you. Obviously, as an artist, you evolve and embrace new music and influences as time passes, but what happened for the Honeyblood sound to materialise?
Honeyblood has been materialising since I was thirteen. I got my first guitar at 12 and was writing my own songs in a teenage girl/boy band in the vein of Hole, L7, Babes in Toyland etc until my mid-teens. When I moved to Glasgow, I wanted to start a new band and formed Boycotts. I had a lot less control over the music because I never once wrote a guitar part. I guess, it was Boycotts that was the evolution and Honeyblood had always been there.

I think our main influences are really obvious. For example, The Breeders, PJ Harvey, Best Coast... and someone recently said we reminded her of Rilo Kiley which made my day. I have such a crush on Jenny Lewis.

The early Honeyblood tracks were heavy in distortion, and since then, you’ve forged a more distinctive sound, with your vocals more pronounced and lucid. Can we expect your vocals to be static-laden on any new tracks?
We did the tape that way because we didn't really have any other way to do it. It was a fluke! The whole thing just worked out okay, which I love. It was a jam in a bathroom that we pressed play to.

Mini fact/ tenuous link: Christina is the Latin feminine form of Christian. If you had to worship someone, who would it be and why?
I'm not religious, but I do have a favourite Saint Kateri Tekawitha, also known as Lily of The Mohawks. She was canonised last year which made me really happy. I guess I'd probably say Kate Bush if I had to worship someone, she's heavenly.

Your recent activity has shown you've been quite supportive of women's rights, reiterating and embracing the importance of femininity. Do you feel that gender is still a massive issue in the UK today?
I'm glad that Honeyblood can support women's rights in a positive way. I think from a musician's point of view, my experience from being in Boycotts and then picking up a guitar and playing in Honeyblood have shaped my views on the attitudes towards female performers. I have always stated that we're two girls who play loud music, because we are and that's what we do.

If so, does this come through in any of the songs?
I think 'Super Rat' may have given people an opinion on how we feel about that sort of thing, but never once do I mention in that song that the 'rat' is a guy.

We have a song called 'Choker' which is based on a short story by Angela Carter called ‘The Bloody Chamber’. Carter was known as a feminist writer.

Yeah, 'Super Rat' doesn’t pull any punches whatsoever, does it? Yikes. What would make us get on the bad side of you girls?
Arseholes. - The List

Honeyblood are the Glasgow two-piece comprised of Stina Tweeddale (vocals, guitar) and Shona McViccar (drums). The band recently signed to Fat Cat and are set to release their debut 7? single ‘Bud’ / ‘Kissing On You’ on the 4th November 2013.

Despite their fledgling status and minimal setup, Honeyblood’s songs are fully formed and perfectly assured. With nothing extraneous, their music is driven through tightly-bound instrumentals and laced with the sheer strength and beauty of Stina’s voice. The songs resonate with deep melodic hooks and the kind of effortless charm that have drawn recent comparisons to the likes of Best Coast, Haim and Frankie Rose, as well as the swooning, strident delivery of more established artists like Jenny Lewis. While those are all decent touchstones for their triumphant debut single, the band also tellingly cite the darker currents of The Breeders, PJ Harvey and The Throwing Muses as lifelong influences. - With Guitars

Honeyblood are the Glasgow two-piece comprised of Stina Tweeddale (vocals, guitar) and Shona McViccar (drums). The band recently signed to Fat Cat and are set to release their debut 7? single ‘Bud’ / ‘Kissing On You’ on the 4th November 2013.

Despite their fledgling status and minimal setup, Honeyblood’s songs are fully formed and perfectly assured. With nothing extraneous, their music is driven through tightly-bound instrumentals and laced with the sheer strength and beauty of Stina’s voice. The songs resonate with deep melodic hooks and the kind of effortless charm that have drawn recent comparisons to the likes of Best Coast, Haim and Frankie Rose, as well as the swooning, strident delivery of more established artists like Jenny Lewis. While those are all decent touchstones for their triumphant debut single, the band also tellingly cite the darker currents of The Breeders, PJ Harvey and The Throwing Muses as lifelong influences. - With Guitars

Taking inspiration from bands like Rilo Kiley and musicians like Loretta Lynn (with a contemporary callout to Zooey Deschanel's treacly singing with She & Him), Glasgow's Honeyblood are a standout among direct song-to-heart artists. Their debut single, a cloying and sweet "Bud", is endearing in its two-piece command, and with production from Palma Violets' Rory Attwell, the spaces that need filling get filled with jangly guitars and heavy-emphasized tom beats. The chorus reaches shout-along pinnacles above and beyond the cloudy sky, and there's no doubt a live show from the Scottish duo would be as exciting and heart-stopping as the song itself conveys through tonal pleasantry. - Impose Magazine

Taking inspiration from bands like Rilo Kiley and musicians like Loretta Lynn (with a contemporary callout to Zooey Deschanel's treacly singing with She & Him), Glasgow's Honeyblood are a standout among direct song-to-heart artists. Their debut single, a cloying and sweet "Bud", is endearing in its two-piece command, and with production from Palma Violets' Rory Attwell, the spaces that need filling get filled with jangly guitars and heavy-emphasized tom beats. The chorus reaches shout-along pinnacles above and beyond the cloudy sky, and there's no doubt a live show from the Scottish duo would be as exciting and heart-stopping as the song itself conveys through tonal pleasantry. - Impose Magazine

“Bud” will be the first official single from Stina Tweeddale and Shona McViccar’s garage pop duo Honeyblood, based in Glasgow but sounding like something from a California dream. Would love to absently toss a glass bottle into an alley while listening to this. The 7-inch comes out on October 22nd via FatCat.

- The Fader

“Bud” will be the first official single from Stina Tweeddale and Shona McViccar’s garage pop duo Honeyblood, based in Glasgow but sounding like something from a California dream. Would love to absently toss a glass bottle into an alley while listening to this. The 7-inch comes out on October 22nd via FatCat.

- The Fader

Debut single from a Glaswegian duo who choose bitter over sweet.

Bud, the debut single from Glaswegian duo Honeyblood, aka Stina Tweeddale and Shona McVicar, achieves special merit points, not just for its irresistibly perky two-minute popsmarts but for productively moving the post-White Stripes formula on in a way that many have tried and many more have failed to do.

The A-side in particular perfectly distills the pair’s strengths; McVicar’s primal, heartbeat drums never fail the John Bonham test-your-strength meter but sidestep it completely, preferring instead to take Moe Tucker’s laidback approach, coolly cuffing and nudging the song along. While Tweeddale’s dolorous, diction-rich voice brings the sexy librarian charms of Delgados’ Emma Pollock to the teen-dream aesthetic beloved of current hipsters like Beach House or Haim, but without having to launch its own lifestyle range in Urban Outfitters and alienate the non-cute teenage fan demographic in the process.

Which isn’t to say Honeyblood aren’t adorable – they rock doll cheeks and a dungaree as well as primetime Clare Grogan – but musically and emotionally you suspect they’d choose bitter over sweet in life. To wit, a poisoned earth metaphor for the frustrations of young love runs through Bud. “Problems seem to stem from the very seeds I plant / I try to stop / I can’t / It’s not in my nature,” Stina avows, before chucking in a masochistic lyrical twist worthy of Kristin Hersh to send the Zooey Deschanel fans fleeing for the comfort of a baby owl pics blog: “Nip it in the bud / They don’t make it hurt it enough / Dead in his tracks / When I finally think I’m never going back / They begin to flower”.

Here’s Rory Atwell’s (Palma Violets, Veronica Falls) pert single mix of the song, available as a limited 7? (Bud b/w Kissing On You) on FatCat. - Mojo

Debut single from a Glaswegian duo who choose bitter over sweet.

Bud, the debut single from Glaswegian duo Honeyblood, aka Stina Tweeddale and Shona McVicar, achieves special merit points, not just for its irresistibly perky two-minute popsmarts but for productively moving the post-White Stripes formula on in a way that many have tried and many more have failed to do.

The A-side in particular perfectly distills the pair’s strengths; McVicar’s primal, heartbeat drums never fail the John Bonham test-your-strength meter but sidestep it completely, preferring instead to take Moe Tucker’s laidback approach, coolly cuffing and nudging the song along. While Tweeddale’s dolorous, diction-rich voice brings the sexy librarian charms of Delgados’ Emma Pollock to the teen-dream aesthetic beloved of current hipsters like Beach House or Haim, but without having to launch its own lifestyle range in Urban Outfitters and alienate the non-cute teenage fan demographic in the process.

Which isn’t to say Honeyblood aren’t adorable – they rock doll cheeks and a dungaree as well as primetime Clare Grogan – but musically and emotionally you suspect they’d choose bitter over sweet in life. To wit, a poisoned earth metaphor for the frustrations of young love runs through Bud. “Problems seem to stem from the very seeds I plant / I try to stop / I can’t / It’s not in my nature,” Stina avows, before chucking in a masochistic lyrical twist worthy of Kristin Hersh to send the Zooey Deschanel fans fleeing for the comfort of a baby owl pics blog: “Nip it in the bud / They don’t make it hurt it enough / Dead in his tracks / When I finally think I’m never going back / They begin to flower”.

Here’s Rory Atwell’s (Palma Violets, Veronica Falls) pert single mix of the song, available as a limited 7? (Bud b/w Kissing On You) on FatCat. - Mojo

Here's the debut single from Glasgow duo Honeyblood. Called 'Bud', it's produced by man of the moment Rory Atwell (Palma Violets, Veronica Falls), who's pushed the vocals right up in the mix. There are a tonne of wicked reference points to get excited about – a vague hint of The Vaselines, nice touch of Velvets two-chord simplicity and even bit of Moz (solo, circa 'Viva Hate') chucked in for good measure in the melody. It's released on November 4 through Fat Cat.
- NME Magazine

Here's the debut single from Glasgow duo Honeyblood. Called 'Bud', it's produced by man of the moment Rory Atwell (Palma Violets, Veronica Falls), who's pushed the vocals right up in the mix. There are a tonne of wicked reference points to get excited about – a vague hint of The Vaselines, nice touch of Velvets two-chord simplicity and even bit of Moz (solo, circa 'Viva Hate') chucked in for good measure in the melody. It's released on November 4 through Fat Cat.
- NME Magazine