Staff Reviews

Father John Misty - I Love You, Honeybear

Review by Jude Clarke

This is a set of songs encased in such lush, enriching music that it’s hard not to forgive its protagonist his transgressions.»

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'I Love You, Honeybear' is the highly-anticipated follow up to his acclaimed debut, 'Fear Fun'. The album, featuring 'Bored In The USA,' 'Chateau Lobby #4 (in C for Two Virgins),' 'True Affection,' and the title track, was produced by Josh Tillman and Jonathan Wilson, mixed by Phil Ek, and mastered by Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound. There's a case to be made that it sounds and acts a bit like solo-era John Lennon, Scott Walker, Randy Newman, Harry Nilsson, and Dory Previn, while taking more than a few cues from Woody Allen, Kurt Vonnegut, Alejandro Jodorowsky and Muhammad Ali. Nearly every tune is augmented by something special, be it orchestral strings, a mariachi band, questionable electronic drum solos, ragtime jazz combos, soul singers, or what have you. 'I Love You, Honeybear' is a concept album about a guy named Josh Tillman who spends quite a bit of time banging his head against walls, cultivating weak ties with strangers and generally avoiding intimacy at all costs. This all serves to fuel a version of himself that his self-loathing narcissism can deal with. We see him engaging in all manner of regrettable behaviour.
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