Honey Daze - Paste single
Release date: June 27th 2025
Artist Information
- Label: independent release
- Genre: Post-Hardcore / Nu-Gaze
- Hometown: Yonkers, NY
- RIYL: Narrow Head, Split Chain, Soul Blind, Superheaven
Biography
Honey Daze’s name aptly conjures its swirling undercurrent of shoegaze and noise. But what’s missing in that evocation is the Yonkers, New York-based band’s penchant for hardcore, post-hardcore, grunge, and alternative metal. The quintet’s seamless blending of the brutal with the beautiful is on full display on "Another Habit to Break," their new EP produced by John Naclerio (Brand New, My Chemical Romance, and Senses Fail).
This is Honey Daze’s first release with vocalist Sean Dowling, the band member that had been its missing link. Dowling’s dynamically expressive vocals and viscerally emotive lyrics perfectly complements the group’s inventive and fearless musicality. Honey Daze counts as influences Glassjaw, Quicksand, Deftones, Alice in Chains, Madball, and Smashing Pumpkins, among others.
“We love the quiet/loud thing that the Pixies and Nirvana did, but I also love to use effects and noise to make the sound blurry and obscure. Then we like to hit back with a heavy riff,” says guitarist Mathew McGinnis. Adds Dowling: “It’s about the peaks and valleys. I try to incorporate that with the vocals and lyrics, knowing when to sing and when to scream.”
Honey Daze formed in 2023 by McGinnis and guitarist Frank Vela after their previous band dissolved. The pair were soon joined by bassist Anthony Fatigate, and drummer Tyler Semolik. McGinnis assumed lead vocal responsibilities on four previously released singles, but the intent was always to have a dedicated frontman singer, and Dowling was the band’s first pick.
“I wasn’t in a good headspace when Mat asked me” Dowling admits. “Over time, I found myself wanting to be in a band where I could focus on writing and singing. That’s when I saw their post looking for a singer. If I had only listened to Mat the first time!”
When Dowling joined Honey Daze in July 2024, the band was set to record a five-song EP in the fall. Words and music came together in a fever pitch of rehearsals, before the group went into Nada Recording studio in Montgomery, NY with Naclerio.
“The lyrics on this EP are a snapshot of my life the summer I joined the band. They’re personal, and there’s a lot of city imagery, like sunsets when I would walk on the Kosciuszko Bridge [in Queens],” says Dowling. “A lot of the themes here are letting go, and acceptance. But there’s also escapism in the lyrics—art is a place to be imaginative.”
The single, Paste, is a post-hardcore track with jingly jangle Johnny Marr-style guitar parts, melodic bass and drums propelled verses, atonal breakdowns, a seamless blend of clean and screaming vocals, and a clever arrangement. “It’s a fun, dance-y song with an outro that sounds a little like elevator music,” McGinnis says laughing.
Right from Dowling’s first vocals, it’s clear, though, that the lyrics present an intriguing contrast to the upbeat music. “Paste” is a song that explores alienation and shame. “It’s about me feeling like I stick out like a sore thumb—that feeling of everywhere you go people are judging you,” he says. Dowling’s powerful opening lines are: Painted red / Born to feel dead / Tainted highlights / Paint the skyline
Upcoming Shows
- July 12th // Queens, NY // Shilleigh Tavern
- August 1st // Yonkers, NY // Yonkers Brewery
- August 23rd // Brooklyn, NY // Gold Sounds
Listen (or download here)
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