This CD is a great one from British duo HONNE, which I shared on Instagram back in February 2022. This album is titled with a great provocation, ‘Let’s just say the world ended a week from now, what would do?’. Released in 2021, amidst the tail-end of the pandemic, it’s clear that this period had a strong influence on their creation of this album. As they say in the liner notes,
“Writing this album has been so much fun and such a journey over the last couple of years. Starting before the pandemic in LA, continuing through multiple lockdowns in London, and finishing up just as there’s a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel.”
This album seeks to challenge the listener about how we spend our time, and the value of that time that so many of us experienced during the pandemic. The message ripples every time I listen to this album.
I’ve been a huge fan of HONNE’s work since finding them on Spotify many years ago, and have since purchased 4 of their CDs. The audio production and mastering of their CDs is outstanding; I often use their tracks to test and demonstrate hifi systems. I also got to see them play live in Melbourne (a story for another time). HONNE’s music is defined by uplifting and melancholic pop and lovely lyrics, and I find that their music always puts me in a good mood.
This album has a long title, but delivers such a great set of tracks rich in mood and messaging. The centre gatefold has lots of scribbled notes answering the album’s provocation; they’re good reminders of how we’d suddenly prioritise what’s important to us. One of my favourite tracks is ‘Back on top’. It was my top track on Spotify in 2021 and typifies the positive tones of their music. I also love the way ‘I’m the lucky one’ starts, with the voices from a wedding speech, clearly signalling the messaging in the song, appreciating the partner in your life. It also has some really rich and punchy bass notes. Other tracks weave into this style, but never sound repetitive. The album wraps up with ‘Heartsong’, a pop-ballad setting a toe-tapping beat, with beautiful lyrics like ‘I’m a butterfly in the wind’. Throughout it pleads with the listener, ‘Please don’t let me go… because you are all I have.’ The album’s tight runtime of 38 minutes covers 11 tracks, all building on one another.
HONNE wrap up with a lovely parting message:
“Let’s all try and squeeze in a few of those things that we’d do if the world was ending a week from now. There’s no need to wait for the end of the world to seize the moment.”
