Album Review: Pissed Jeans - Honeys

Pissed Jeans have changed a lot since their 2005 debut Shallow, but the sonic shift between 2009's King Of Jeans and Honeys is relatively slight, particularly given the long gap between them. Bathroom Laughter is a vicious beginning, rumbling bass gives way to the almighty, guttural expounding of vocalist Matt Korvette who screams “You're in the kitchen crying, You're in the kitchen crying, I saw you in the kitchen crying”. It's a perfect reminder of how brilliantly he makes the banality of life connect and a brilliant song. Chain Worker pulls the floor from underneath you; the tempo drops to nought as Korvette screams over a fuzz bass and shrieks of guitar noise. It's fine, but not as powerful as the band at full tilt.

Cafeteria Food sees Korvette in perhaps his best form lyrically; My Family stickers, fantasy football and microwave cookery references all delivered in a dreary, deadpan manner give this sense of the everyday, middle-class lifestyle as kind of foul feeling. Something About Mrs Johnson is a minute-and-a-half of guitar noise and a coughing fit – at first seeming a waste of space before it kicks into Male Gaze and you realise that its inclusion has purpose; the latter song then proceeding to drag your brain through a hypnotic four-minute punishing. Cat House and Health Plan are thrashy gems tucked away in the back end, while the big riffs of Teenage Adult have Pissed Jeans sounding more epic than ever before.

The high points of Honeys aren't as frequent as King Of Jeans, but they're better. Best listened to while sweaty, stinking and despondent.