Originality is easy to come by when an artist listens to their gut. Repetition and mirroring, on the other hand, are harder to avoid, so succumb at your peril. Today’s band in the spotlight need not worry because the music that Orchards craft is vivaciously and impressively of their own making. Only on their second release but hardly amateur, ‘Honey’ provides choppy rhythms and languid breaks – all cherry, no stalk.
The math-pop Brightonians may have let the sea air go to their heads but when it produces music of this calibre, it’s worth the risk. An explosion of layered instruments is detonated subsequently: guitar and synth lead in, joined by elasticated bass throbs, sharp cuts of snare and pinches of cymbal.
The song’s subject matter according to the band is multi-faceted too, as they reveal: “The lyrics are two-fold, you could say they’re about unrequited love and the chemistry that the situation ignites between two people. On the other hand you can think about the lyrics in the context of the bee crisis and how those lovely things are currently in danger. Yes our vocalist is a bit obsessed with bees…” Whatever it is, ‘Honey’ sure is a playlist certain in our minds.
Orchards will be playing Brighton’s Green Door Store on 2nd December.