Punk Head Present: Honeybadger, Angerland, Jayniac Jr. Ben Aubergine, And BRIEL the Artist
Today, we’re presenting artists who provide a different voice in music, whether through provocative lyrics or genre-breaking arrangements. They might not speak the same musical language, but what they have in common is a voice that speaks the truth and a spirit that’s willing to step outside the box.
This edition brings forth the discussion about gender, identity, nostalgia, and disillusion, featuring Honeybadger, Angerland, Jayniac Jr., Ben Aubergine, and BRIEL the Artist.
BRIEL the Artist - ‘DAMN GENESIS’
DAMN GENESIS is born out of freedom and courage. It’s about reclaiming a voice that the world tries to box in and erase. It’s about raw honesty and unapologetic truth. It amazed me how fluid and beautifully chaotic this mixtape is, where everything happens all at once—hip hop bleeds into freestyle and jazz. It evolves and never stays in one place. It peels off layers and allows things to get messy. And in there, you get community, a collage of moments in reality. It doesn’t yell out queerness or Blackness. It shows you, gently, what it’s like to be embraced and loved gently, and to be talked to and held in a way that sees you for who you really are.
Ben Aubergine - “Spoke For What I Knew”
Cinematic and a little diorbedient, “Spoke For What I Knew” is a beautiful collision of influences with a soul of alternative rock and the lush production of pop. A fabulous blend of genres that feels deliciously freeing and energetic sonically, even though it journeys through uncertain water.
Originally written in 1998 and produced decades later, Ben Aubergine travels back in time with “Spoke For What I Knew,” a song about two people falling out of rhythm. Tackling themes such as the breakdown of a relationship, the right person at the wrong time, the track features a moody and soul-baring solo in addition to Aubergine’s raw and expressive vocal.
Honeybadger - “Wakka”
Honeybadger is enraged with chaos magic. The disobedient, gutter psychedelia Brighton band is as gritty as Nirvana and as hard-hitting as the Sex Pistols. With slasher riffs and snappy solos, “Wakka,” their 2023 closing single, concludes the year with a smashing bang.
Punk is best served with an attitude. In this case, Honeybadger has something to get off its chest. Having grown tired of speeches with a tongue in cheek, they now demand action. Words don’t count. Changes are made through action. In “Wakka,” they call out hypocrisy.
Angerland - “Commit A Madness”
Angerland swings back and hits us with a moody soundscape and a slow-burning psychedelic visual torture in their latest release, “Commit A Madness.” With tension that waits to snap at every turn and twist and a kind of moody atmosphere that breathes under your skin, “Commit A Madness” travels to haunted past and cursed memories. There are shadows that live in this track, grabbing you from the space between notes, echoing with resonance that drags you in.
Jayniac Jr.’s - “Flower Mouth”
Tracks like “Flower Mouth” remind us what punk rock was born for. The raw, unapologetic EP opener feels like an unsigned letter of cry, loud enough to pierce through the thick clouds and heavy noises to deliver its message, but it’s also ambiguous enough to be from anyone about anything. “Flower Mouth” is vocal and noncompliant, especially when the rest of the world wants to keep you quiet. In spirit, the track is like a graffiti that shows up overnight. It represents those who feel its message without necessarily being explicit. It’s symbolic.
A flower in the mouth is a poignant metaphor. The subject in the track is fluid, but it tackles suppression and disillusionment, whether it’s within a relationship or a societal system, which makes punk rock its perfect format.