Bull’s infectiously enjoyable and feverish sophomore album ‘Engines of Honey’ is sun-kissed, psych-soaked indie rock at its best: An unapologetically energetic, exhilarating document made with good instances in thoughts.
for followers of The Beatles, The Kinks, MGMT
Stream: “Begin a New” – Bull
I dare you to hearken to Engines of Honey and not smile.
Bull’s sophomore album is a candy, seductive slice of sonic sunshine; an effervescent fever dream of swooping guitars and hovering melody strains that invitations its listeners to be daring and dream large, regardless of the scenario.
Heartfelt, charming, and infectiously enjoyable, Engines of Honey is sun-kissed, psych-soaked indie rock at its best: An unapologetically energetic, exhilarating document made with good instances in thoughts.
I need to begin anew
Someplace with out you
Someplace the sky is blue
And I don’t need to take a look at you
When you pretend all of your emotions
I’m trying to find one thing true
Unpleasantness has obtained me down
However I appear to ask it
I need to flip again round
And begin once more in some way
Submerge myself in an ocean
Far-off from the maddening crowd
– “Begin A New,” Bull
Independently launched March 1st, 2024, Engines of Honey is daring, shiny, brash, and beaming. The follow-up to their much-beloved debut album Uncover Easy Dwelling and 2022’s Caught Between the Digital and Bodily World EP sees Bull at residence and confidently of their component, all whereas pushing themselves and their sound ahead to new heights.
The band – comprised of vocalist and songwriter Tom Beer, guitarist Dan Lucas, keyboardist Holly Beer, drummer Tom Gabbatiss, and bassist Kai West – proudly describe themselves as “York’s best purveyors of jangling indie pleasure,” and that rings very true on Engines of Honey as they deal with audiences to a radiant ensemble of spirited harmonies, irresistible choruses, and fiery, face melting guitar solos.
“The album was recorded over a protracted interval,” frontman Tom Beer tells Atwood Journal. “It was initially a set of over 20 songs, whittled down a bit, with a really formidable however barely fragmented recording type and work ethic. Our imaginative and prescient was to go additional than we had earlier than and make every part sound superb, diversified, lush, and so on. We had to surrender on perfection, as perhaps everybody all the time has to, and we additionally binned a good quantity of songs. We all the time hold engaged on the tracks till the tip, however you need to cease someplace.”
Recorded with Remko Schouten at his Ijland Studio in Amsterdam and again residence in York, Engines of Honey is comfortably uncomfortable – its catchy, charged songs a product of wholesome quantities of experimentation and dangers taken each within the studio and within the band’s songwriting.
“I feel there’s some basic Bull sounding songs, like ‘Begin A New’ and ‘Imaginary Conversations,’ however we’ve additionally tried to develop on what we might do with recording extra,” Holly Beer says. “Most likely having the mic at residence meant we had extra time to determine components on different devices, like cello, trombone or violin, and we had been in a position to have pals ‘spherical to do group backing vocals and extra brass components.”
“I feel this album marks a return to extra acquainted territory for Bull in comparison with our Caught Between The Digital And Bodily World EP, which noticed us experimenting with synths and drum machines, and wackier songwriting,” Dan Lucas provides. “It was enjoyable to be again within the studio focusing extra on guitars and vocal preparations, letting the songs lead the manufacturing.”
“I hope it simply reveals now we have heaps extra songs and we’re gonna hold recording them,” Tom Beer smiles. “We’re not afraid to attempt some stuff, which could not all the time work, and hopefully our greatest continues to be to come back!”
Can’t keep in mind the way it even began,
I’d been working so effectively
Now they’re coming and so they do it spited,
And I simply don’t know what to imagine.
Now I’m feeling like my head exploded,
And I’ve obtained to get away from you,
Now I’m getting every part I wished,
So I higher discover my subsequent excuse
Beer candidly describes Engines of Honey as overkill pop rock.
The album’s title comes from a lyric within the tune “Stranger” – one of many document’s standouts.
“We determined we like our albums to all the time have a miscellaneous lyric from one of many songs,” Tom Beer explains. “We thought it sounded sort of on the nostril in a Teenage Fanclub, radical rocker sort of righteous approach. To me it signifies the work ethic of the band, the dream, the sound.”
Highlights abound on the journey from the album’s sunny and spirited opener “Begin a New” to its raucous, rousing finale, “Sid.” Between the buoyant heat of “Stranger,” the dreamy cheer of “One Inexperienced Eye,” the hypnotic bounce of “Imaginary Conversations, and the feverish churn of “Jan Fin,” Engines of Honey has a little bit one thing for everybody – whether or not it’s quick n’ livid rockers, lush psychedelic serenades, quirky left-of-center pop tunes, or music that doesn’t match into any clear field.
“I like that ‘Head Exploder’ is pretty easy, that it comes off as a very good trustworthy monitor, and I just like the sound of it finest for that purpose,” Tom Beer says. “I like the primary solo in ‘Head Exploder,’ I just like the second refrain of ‘Stranger,’ I just like the third verse of ‘Purple Rooves.’ And I just like the clap in ‘Crick.’”
“I like ‘Begin A New’ because it’s form of viciously pointed and succinct (for me, not my sturdy level),” he provides, “however I additionally form of disagree with it, and many of the issues within the songs. That’s sort of the way it works; you’re feeling one thing for ten minutes, not ceaselessly, so you’ll be able to sort of admire it, however you don’t really feel the identical once more. I like the road ‘imaginary anger used to stall my delight’ in ‘Imaginary Conversations.’ I feel the lyric ‘now I’m getting every part I wished, so I higher discover my subsequent excuse’ is fairly neat. Any individual commented not too long ago they like ‘wrestle, however not ceaselessly’ in ‘Weston-Tremendous-Mare’ and I believed, ‘really yeah, that’s fairly good’ (within the context), in order that was good. I fairly like ‘a way of life shouldn’t be an excuse for a character,’ however it’s a bit self-righteous.”
Upon Engines of Honey‘s launch, Tom Beer mentioned that the album is “enjoyable, messy, and hopefully memorable.”
And to his credit score, he was proper on all three counts.
Bull’s second document hits in sudden, however endlessly alluring methods – taking listeners on a rip-roaring rollercoaster trip that leaves us, as anticipated, with an enormous smile on our faces.
“I hope individuals can take pleasure in it and stick it on and perhaps get one thing out of it, like a lyric right here and there or a pleasant little bit of guitar,” Tom Beer shares. “Individuals typically say to us that they like listening to it on headphones and each time they hearken to it, they hear one thing completely different. And once they see us play dwell, they like that we take it in numerous instructions.”
“I’ve taken away that when you’re gonna do one thing, do it rapidly and succinctly; don’t f* about, and perhaps set your self some parameters. We’re blissful to be engaged on new music and looking out ahead to recording in new methods.”
Expertise the complete document by way of our beneath stream, and peek inside Bull’s Engines of Honey with Atwood Journal because the band take us track-by-track via the music and lyrics of their sophomore album!
— —
:: stream/buy Engines of Honey right here ::
:: join with Bull right here ::
— —
Stream: ‘Engines of Honey’ – Bull
:: Inside Engines of Honey ::
— —
Begin A New
Tom B: This was form of the primary tune written for the album, I wrote it after coming back from a tour which ended abruptly because of COVID. A number of craving and frustration and anger and catharsis. The lyrics got here out in a short time. First ‘new tune’ of the album.
Head Exploder
Tom B: This was the final tune written for the album, I wrote it whereas strolling the ten minute stroll from my home to my dad and mom home a couple of years after I wrote begin a brand new and had moved again to York from Scarborough the place I used to be residing. I recorded a voice notice on my telephone, it’s about realising you had been mistaken and burning out. We recorded it very recent very shortly after it was written and I feel the recording has fairly a pure, not overdone feeling consequently.
Purple Rooves
Tom B: Talking of pure and never overdone…this recording was like a 3 yr manufacturing and we nonetheless didn’t get it how we (or a minimum of I) might need wished it, however there are some good bits. From very humble beginnings, the tune was simply written on a reeely unhealthy guitar which had two or three strings on it, taking part in a makeshift three chord riff. I wrote it by recording it as a demo and making up lyrics on the spot whereas recording into storage band and searching of the window in Scarborough. This was the second tune written for the album.
Weston-Tremendous-Mare
Tom B: This one I wrote the tune in a single I feel and did one other little demo and wrote the riff which I believed was fairly neat. Enjoyable truth the tune doesn’t say weston-super-mare in it however in band observe I used to be free-styling a 3rd verse which I used to be that means to write down (ended up simply re-singing the primary as I by no means did it) and weston-super-mare simply got here out because it scanned with the rhythm of the tune. So we ended up calling it that, by no means been there.
Imaginary Conversations
Tom B: This was I feel in all probability the third tune I wrote for the album, it’s I feel perhaps the primary and solely tune I’ve ever really managed to make use of which I wrote after waking up at 4am. I get up very often in the midst of the night time and I began doing it on a regular basis in covid, assume I used to be ingesting an excessive amount of water earlier than mattress. Anyway, I wrote this about not having the ability to sleep, about going over conversations I’d had earlier than after which in regards to the feeling that generally peoples (and my very own) relationships are made up not simply of actual conversations that really occurred, but in addition issues that may have occurred and that each of you’re feeling like have occurred with some bizarre sixth sense. One in all my finest pals mentioned one thing much like me as soon as so a variety of the second half of the tune finally ends up being about that. It’s precisely as I wrote it in my telephone notes, there’s a distinction between telephone notes songs, little e-book songs and straight into storage band songs. Sorry that was far more than 4 sentences!
Stranger
Tom B: I wrote the primary half of this on the keyboard, at my girlfriend’s dad and mom’ home. I didn’t actually handle to determine what the lyrics had been alleged to be about, one thing in regards to the police or one thing, I simply favored the chords and the tune, Tom Gabbatiss on drums sings the refrain as he’s obtained a a lot stronger voice than me and there was no approach I used to be getting that prime! The second half of the tune is one other 4am one however a couple of years later than imaginary conversations. It was rather a lot longer however I reduce some. It’s fairly a private, I suppose, poem. It covers a variety of floor – I like the way it form of resolves. I’m calming myself down after a little bit of a torturous late night time session of self reflection and doubtless a little bit of hatred, I’m sorry to say. I just like the final line, tacky or not – “and on this candy tune I discover my place.” It’s fairly a pleasant recording however once more a really difficult one, I’m fairly happy with the trumpet line which I recorded on my tod and Toms voice sounds nice within the refrain.
Jan Fin
Tom B: This tune is approach previous, it was written, very angsty and obscure in about 2012? I feel I’d have been 18 when it was written. It looks like a really teenage factor, we put it on the album as we nonetheless like taking part in the riff and the funkyish really feel and expansive nature of it, you’ll be able to play it one million methods, I really like the chords. The recording is a bit confused perhaps… Like I say, there’s one million methods to play it, and we tried to do them multi functional recording, some enjoyable moments although like dan’s skinny lizzy / toto guitar break.
Febo
Tom B: This one is a wacky one, written fairly late within the album’s improvement, I wrote it on piano, the form of quite simple pachabells cannon wannabe sudo classical harpsichord factor. I actually favored it for a bit as I believed we had the texture proper on the recording, I feel I most popular earlier variations of the recording, we spent so lengthy on this album issues stored altering and also you unfastened stuff you favored. The lyrics had been mumbled into my telephone after which. I transcribed my very own mumble to the very best of my skill. That is one other approach I’ve found out that I can write songs, it’s very easy. You simply have a tune and you then freestyle not likely saying phrases, document it after which do your finest to show it into phrases. There are a few phrases I like however it’s principally bizarre for some purpose latently sexual and bollocks. However I like the road “endurance and keenness and every part between” which I used to be form of impressed got here out of my unconscious because it a minimum of form of is sensible.
Holly B: The tune is known as after a series of Dutch quick meals automat eating places due to the lyric ‘my coronary heart is an automat’, and since we love the chips and oorlog.
Do It for the Cash
Tom B: One other wacky one, I wrote it in lockdown, Kai calls it ‘the tutorial tune’. It’s obtained a little bit of the Jonathon Richman, children TV vibe about it…the recording is ridiculous!
Crick
Tom B: Kai wrote this – over to Kai West! I’ll say the recording could be very layered, fairly pleased with a few of the association work we did on it, some good components, once more very formidable and complicated with a million overdubs!
Kai: This tune was from a batch of about 5 I wrote at a sure level in lockdown after having an uncomfortably very long time to replicate on a variety of stuff. I feel lyrically I’m fairly happy with it. This tune actually demonstrates (to me) why working in a band of individuals you respect musically is so nice – sonically it sounds completely nothing like how I imagined it might, nor would I’ve ever finished it like that myself. However I actually like the way it got here out, and I feel that’s an superior factor.
One Inexperienced Eye
Tom B: I just like the lilting rhythm factor rather a lot and the large thief esq excessive hanging notes within the choruses.
Holly B: I really like this one, it’s one in all my favourites. I like how intimate it feels in the beginning and the best way it builds. Tom G added a pleasant guitar half within the outro which jogs my memory of CBeebies (however in a great way.)
Sid
Tom B: Ben Beatie on visitor saxophone. We wished an enormous synthy sound, plus Tom G on stone roses drums. I just like the humorous form of samba (?? I’m actually guessing right here) type sousaphone trombone and trumpet syncopated trio, factor which stroll off on the finish, we had a variety of enjoyable figuring out that half and recording it, enjoyable dwell at our album launch gig in York too.
— —
:: stream/buy Engines of Honey right here ::
:: join with Bull right here ::
— — — —
Connect with Bull on
Fb, Twitter, TikTok, Instagram
Uncover new music on Atwood Journal
© courtesy of the band
:: Stream Bull ::