Forming back in 2017, the band calling themselves Dirty Honey are a bit of a throwback to the Rock-n-Roll of yesteryear. Stripped down, no frills involved, they provide a brand of Rock that is raw, dirty, and full of soulful intuition. Think Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, or even AC/DC. Painting this picture, they first put out their self-titled EP in 2019, on their way to catching the attention of many. Moving forward into 2021 they found more success, releasing their debut full-length, also titled Dirty Honey. Rising fast, the band has already toured with everyone from Guns N’ Roses to The Black Crowes, released a bunch of songs, but now look to take the next step with the release of sophomore album Can’t Find The Brakes in 2023.
Released on November 3rd, the story of Can’t Find The Brakes’ build-up began in early 2023 with the reworking of the song “Heartbreaker” in the form of “Heartbreaker 2.0.” A track which preceded the actual album sessions themselves, and is not on the new album, following in the summer came the riff-heavy singles “Won’t Take Me Alive” and “Can’t Find The Brakes,” before the stunning “Coming Home (Ballad of the Shire)” in October. So, these first tastes included two rockers and one more acoustic based track.
A good sample of what was to come, it is clear when Dirty Honey – Marc LaBelle (vocals), John Notto (guitar), Justin Smolian (bass), and new drummer Jaydon Bean – headed to Australia to record the new album with long-time Producer Nick DiDia this past April they had the intention to push themselves. What this means they concentrated on writing some really strong Classic Rock oozing tunes such as “Don’t Put Out The Fire,” “Ride On,” and “Rebel Son,” but also put all of themselves into doing something far deeper. Yes, the heavy, upbeat Rock-n-Roll cuts are good, but what Dirty Honey does with songs like “Roam,” the single “Coming Home (Ballad of the Shire),” and “You Make It All Right” is really what was is impressive. Three very mellow tracks, they show maturity, texture, and very thoughtful attention to the composition involved. Furthermore, they show LaBelle’s voice has even more layers than one may have first thought.
Now, couple these bold steps forward for this young band with what most people already know from them, and you have a band who is growing rapidly. This is why Can’t Find The Brakes is not only an album that invites you in the room for a peek, but throws you for some surprises that makes you want to stay for the duration. That is why Cryptic Rock finds this direction for Dirty Honey very impressive and gives Can’t Find The Brakes 4 out of 5 stars.
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