One of Canada’s top-selling Rock bands through the 1980s, Honeymoon Suite has continued to excite a dedicated following for the last four plus decades. Attaining massive success with hits like 1984’s “New Girl” and 1986’s “Feel It Again,” Honeymoon Suite’s first three albums (1984’s Honeymoon Suite, 1986’s The Big Prize, and 1988’s Racing After Midnight) all attained triple platinum status in Canada. Impressive accomplishments: their success in the United States was also notable, with other singles like “What Does It Take” (featured in the 1986 Comedy One Crazy Summer) and 1988’s “Love Changes Everything,” both of which reached the Billboard Hot 100.
A long time ago now, Honeymoon Suite has stuck together through thick and thin, and after inking a new record deal with Italian label Frontiers Records s.r.l., they are pumping out music at a record pace. Providing more profound insight, Honeymoon Suite remained largely an independent band for nearly 15 years until 2023. Keeping themselves going, they released a seven-track EP, Hands Up, in 2017 on CD and vinyl (all with the help of a PledgeMusic campaign), but in 2024 made a big splash with the new album, Alive. Their first studio album in 16 years, Alive, featured a powerful, invigorating sound authentic to Honeymoon Suite’s past.
Still an album many are learning about, roughly 17 months later, the band returns with another album, which they call Wake Me Up When the Sun Goes Down. Released on July 25, 2025, again through Frontiers Records s.r.l., the band went to work relatively quickly to write and record the new material. A turnout most fans never saw coming, with Frontiers Records s.r.l. eager for new material, Vocalist Johnnie Dee and Lead Guitarist Derry Grehan burned the midnight oil, putting together fresh song ideas. Working closely with Producer Mike Krompass, without Covid restrictions hampering them, they had greater freedom to write and record, which helped achieve a quick turnaround.
With that in mind, Wake Me Up When the Sun Goes Down possesses the same exciting energy as Alive, but the songs are a bit different. Arguably a little more diverse, the album features various textures that broaden the sound, while still retaining some absolutely killer guitar riffs and solos. An album featuring Johnnie Dee, Derry Grehan, along with original Bassist Garry Lalonde, Drummer Betts, and Keyboardist Peter Nunn (who has been with the band for over 20 years), they come together for 10 new tracks that really gel together.
A quick and striking at just around 33 minutes, standouts include the singles “I Fly” and the colorful “Stay This Time.” Joining these, “Way Of The World” is another bold moment, while “Way Too Fast” is a great, more mellow rocker, and “Live On” sticks with you thanks to catchy vocal melodies and soaring guitars.
Altogether, Honeymoon Suite has put together another Hard Rock album that honors their past, larger sound while maintaining a modern sensibility. A testament to who they are, Wake Me Up When the Sun Goes Down is chock-full of Radio Rock from an era when songwriting was king. Guaranteed to please fans of Hard Rock where that still matters, Cryptic Rock gives Honeymoon Suite’s When the Sun Goes Down 4.5 out of 5 stars.
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