Description
Pissed Jeans – Honeys – Vinyl Record
Pissed Jeans’ Honeys (2013) is a raw, abrasive, and darkly humorous album that perfectly captures the band’s signature blend of noise rock, punk, and sludge. Known for their aggressive sound and unfiltered lyrics, Pissed Jeans explore themes of modern life’s mundane frustrations, anxiety, and the absurdity of everyday experiences. Their fourth album, Honeys, released on Sub Pop Records, continues their tradition of delivering heavy, distorted riffs and confrontational lyrics, making it a standout in the noise rock genre.
With Honeys, Pissed Jeans offers an intense listening experience that blends their chaotic energy with sardonic social commentary, touching on everything from the drudgery of work life to awkward social interactions. The album’s aggressive sound, paired with Matt Korvette’s sardonic, sometimes unsettling, vocal delivery, creates a cathartic experience for listeners who appreciate music that channels discontent and anxiety into a chaotic but captivating mix.
Honeys is firmly rooted in noise rock, with its chaotic soundscapes, heavy distortion, and pounding rhythms. The band draws heavily from punk and hardcore, evident in their aggressive tempo and raw, unpolished approach to the music. Tracks are short, punchy, and loud, often veering into sludgy, slow-burning breakdowns.
Alongside the noise rock elements, Pissed Jeans incorporates influences from sludge and grunge, with slow, heavy riffs that add a sense of weight and tension to their music. The guitar tone is thick and distorted, creating a sense of sonic overload that matches the intensity of the lyrics.
Honeys is driven by cathartic, almost primal energy. The music is loud, abrasive, and confrontational, with an underlying sense of frustration and release. Korvette’s shouted vocals, coupled with the band’s dissonant guitar work and crashing drums, create a sound that feels like both an assault and an emotional purge.
Key Tracks
“Bathroom Laughter”: The album opens with this frenetic track, immediately plunging listeners into the chaotic world of Pissed Jeans. Fast-paced, with jagged guitars and frantic drumming, the song’s lyrics describe an awkward and tense social situation, delivered with Korvette’s trademark mix of humor and anxiety.
“Romanticize Me”: A slower, heavier track, “Romanticize Me” showcases the band’s sludge influences, with its pounding rhythm and thick, distorted guitar riffs. The song’s lyrics sarcastically comment on the unrealistic expectations placed on romance, with Korvette delivering biting lines like “Make me feel like I’m all that matters.”
“Vain in Costume”: This track offers a blistering critique of self-image and vanity, framed within Pissed Jeans’ typical chaotic style. The fast, aggressive instrumentation contrasts with the sardonic lyrics, making it one of the album’s standout moments.
“Health Plan”: One of the more humorous and satirical tracks, “Health Plan” is a critique of the American healthcare system and the anxieties it induces. Over a pounding beat, Korvette sings about obsessive self-diagnosis and the stress of navigating healthcare, all delivered with a mix of absurdity and frustration.
“Male Gaze”: A sharp critique of male entitlement and the objectification of women, “Male Gaze” addresses toxic masculinity head-on. The song’s heavy, lumbering riff matches the weight of the subject matter, creating a dense, oppressive atmosphere that underscores the seriousness of the theme.
Many of the lyrics on Honeys are focused on the banal frustrations of everyday life, from work stress to awkward social interactions. The songs explore themes of anxiety, disillusionment, and dissatisfaction with modern society, often with a sarcastic, biting edge. Tracks like “Bathroom Laughter” and “Health Plan” highlight the absurdity and frustration of daily life, offering dark humor as a coping mechanism. Several songs on the album critique societal expectations around masculinity and self-image. “Romanticize Me” addresses the unrealistic romantic ideals placed on men, while “Male Gaze” directly confronts toxic masculinity and the objectification of women. The band’s ability to tackle these themes with humor, anger, and self-awareness sets them apart from many of their contemporaries. Throughout the album, there’s a pervasive sense of disillusionment with the mundane aspects of modern life. The band’s lyrics often touch on feelings of alienation and frustration with social norms, work culture, and personal relationships. This existential dissatisfaction is mirrored in the abrasive, chaotic sound of the music.
The guitar work on Honeys is heavily distorted, creating a thick, sludgy wall of sound that dominates many of the tracks. Guitarists Bradley Fry and Dave Rosenstraus deliver a mix of fast, punk-style riffs and slower, crushing breakdowns that give the album its dynamic feel.
The rhythm section, driven by Sean McGuinness’s drumming and Randy Huth’s bass, provides a powerful, relentless backbone for the album. The drums are fast and aggressive, propelling the songs forward with a sense of urgency, while the bass adds depth and weight to the band’s heavy sound.
Korvette’s vocal style is a key element of Pissed Jeans’ sound. His delivery is raw, with a mix of shouting and spoken word that gives the lyrics a confrontational, almost sarcastic edge. His vocal performance is full of energy, frustration, and biting humor, perfectly matching the chaotic nature of the music.
Honeys was well-received by critics for its brutal honesty, abrasive sound, and sharp social commentary. It cemented Pissed Jeans as a standout act in the noise rock and punk scenes, appreciated for their willingness to tackle difficult, sometimes uncomfortable topics with humor and intensity.
Pissed Jeans’ raw, unfiltered approach to noise rock has influenced a number of bands in the genre, particularly those that focus on the intersection of humor and aggression. Their ability to combine heavy, dissonant music with lyrical wit has made them a unique force in the underground rock scene.
By addressing themes of masculinity, self-image, and societal expectations, Pissed Jeans have carved out a niche in punk and noise rock, offering a critique of toxic masculinity while embracing vulnerability and self-deprecation. This has resonated with audiences looking for music that challenges traditional notions of gender and power.
Honeys by Pissed Jeans is a blistering, darkly humorous album that combines noise rock’s abrasive sound with punk’s energy and attitude. The band tackles themes of modern life, masculinity, and social absurdities with a mix of humor, aggression, and biting commentary. Musically, the album’s heavy, distorted guitars and pounding rhythms create a chaotic yet cathartic experience, while Matt Korvette’s raw, confrontational vocals deliver lyrics that resonate with disillusionment and frustration. Honeys stands out as a powerful, unfiltered expression of dissatisfaction with contemporary life, making it a defining album for fans of noise rock and punk.
Brand new, never played and still sealed in the factory plastic
Track Listing
Bathroom Laughter
Chain Worker
Romanticize Me
Vain In Costume
You’re Different (In Person)
Cafeteria Food
Something About Mrs. Johnson
Male Gaze
Cathouse
Loubs
Health Plan
Teenage Adult
