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| via Consequence of Sound |
Brilliant debut albums can be both a blessing and a curse. While they firmly establish an act’s credibility, they can also create pressure to live up to yourself on the next release. Many lesser artists are not able to live up to the hype and enter the dreaded “sophomore slump.”
Father John Misty’s critically acclaimed 2012 debut, Fear Fun, topped many album of the year lists, and expectations were definitely high when I Love You, Honeybear was announced in late 2014. The album dropped two days ago and I am here to confirm that the hype has been lived up to! It’s got all the sardonic, witty lyricism that Misty (neé Josh Tillman) has become known for, but ventures further afield melodically and stylistically than its predecessor. Nowhere is this more evident than on the album’s third track, “True Affection,” which sees Misty exploring the realm of glittering electro-pop and eschewing the rootsy, psych-folk vibe that pervades the album. It’s delightfully anachronistic in the context of the whole LP, and really improves the album’s pacing, but more than that, it is a fucking stellar, habit-formingly enjoyable pop song.
I Love You, Honeybear is out now on Sub Pop, and make sure to catch Father John Misty on tour this spring