Honeyglaze's new single 'Don't': Giving voice to female rage.
Honeyglaze, a South-London based alternative trio released their first single, ‘Don’t’, since the release of their debut title album in 2022. Their first album is an amalgamation of genres, merging sounds of indie-rock and shoegaze with elements of post-punk and folk. Accompanied by mellow drumbeats and dazy, distorted riffs, Sokolow’s vocals are ethereal and delicate despite the song's lyrics which explore topics around the turbulence of not only growing up, but growing up as a woman.
Though their lyrics explore experiences with jealousy, feelings of inadequacy and codependency, there is a defining sense of frustration at the expectations of womanhood and femininity which underlies their first album, ‘Honeyglaze’. In ‘Female Lead’, Sokolow’s lyrics tell a story that many young women can relate to, one of a battle with identity in a patriarchal society that places a high value on a certain look: a blonde ‘female lead’. She bleaches her natural black hair blonde– a surprisingly common experience amongst adolescent women– but finds that in doing so, she has ‘let [her] mother down’, essentially betraying a part of herself in an attempt to live up to this unachievable, idealised expectation placed upon women.
In ‘I Am Not Your Cushion’– a song with a confrontational and stern title– Sokolow sings in a gentle, mild tone about losing a sense of identity when getting into a relationship. She sings ‘I am not your woman / No, I’m not your girl / No, I’m not some sort of cushion’, refusing to fall into the expected role of nurturer, carer or overall ‘cushion’ in a relationship just because of her gender. Sokolow is ‘not ready to give in’ to this expected role and her refusal to do so is heard even louder and clearer on Honeyglaze’s new single, ‘Don’t’.
‘Don’t’ goes in a new direction from their previous releases; strongly leaning into the post-punk sound they had dipped into on ‘Honeyglaze’. Sokolow is undeniably angrier, setting out precise boundaries within the lyrics of her song: ‘don’t raise your voice and interrupt me when I’m speaking / I’m a person too you know / I’ve got things to say / I’ve got fucking feelings’. Though there is no mention in the song that these lyrics outline the female experience, it is clear to any woman that it does as they have undoubtedly felt the same frustrations of being overlooked and patronised.
Not only are the lyrics angrier, but the vocals are as well. Sokolow ditches her delicate, melodious voice and ends the song with a guttural shouting, her frustration clearly reaching a climax. Her shouts are accompanied by louder, crashing drum beats and menacing, dissonant guitars, ending the song in a thundering crescendo.
‘Don’t’ ditches any remaining sense of feminine passivity and agreeability, and instead embraces confrontation, exhibiting a coming-of-age of sorts for Honeyglaze. This new single gives an extremely promising glimpse of the post-punk excellence their second album, ‘Real Deal’, will no doubt offer.