SINGLE REVIEW: Believer by Black Honey
Are you ready to accept Izzy B. Phillips as your lord and saviour?
Following up from their haunting Halloween anthem, I Like The Way You Die, Brighton four-piece Black Honey take us to church with their new single Believer, the latest taste of their second album, Written & Directed.
Believer is classic Black Honey with its killer rock n roll riffs, silky vocal melodies, and some hot horn action for good measure. With the witty, referential lyricism you know to expect from the band, lines like ‘You don’t look a thing like Jesus / Waited my whole life to sing this’ feel reminiscent of The Killers’ When You Were Young. Framed as religious satire, Believer seeks to find spiritualism within oneself rather than in systems of belief, telling a coming-of-age underdog story with a dark, satirical edge.
As if a new song wasn’t enough, the Honeys have also treated us to a cinematic new music video for the track. The Tarantino-inspired video was filmed back in 2019 and features the last appearance of previous drummer Tom Dewhurst before his departure from the band. Filmed in the Spanish Tabernas desert, the music video flaunts the retro rock n roll, spaghetti western aesthetic that Black Honey have become known for. It’s Kill Bill meets The Exorcist, and is a religious experience in itself.
Believer joins Beaches, Run For Cover, and I Like The Way You Die as the latest single from sophomore record Written & Directed. Each song has offered a different flavour of the band’s brilliance, but each is deliciously quintessential Black Honey. That's why Black Honey are consistently a Rock Coven favourite - they always fucking kill it.
Recently, the band have announced that the release of Written & Directed has been pushed back to March 19th, but we know it will be worth the extra wait. Black Honey also have a socially distanced tour of record release gigs lined up in celebration of the album, playing shows in March and April (we’re praying they don’t get postponed!). Tickets on sale here.
Check out the Believer music video below:
Stream Believer on Spotify and Apple Music
Review by Chloe Robbins
Photography by Eva Pentel
