An Exclusive Premiere

Vakili Band

Title Track Announces Honey Release

by Ink 19 Magazine

Honey, Vakili Band’s LP followup to Walking Sideways (2021) and Oh Alright (2018), drops September 8, 2023, and it’s a sonic bear hug for your ears. Today, Ink 19 has the title track, which releases June 15, exclusively for you.

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Lily Vakili, savvy street poet and one hell of a voice, attributes “Honey” to the “transportive state of being absorbed by love, of being utterly enthralled with another person… When I’m in the presence of someone I love intensely, I feel like I am in an opiate soundscape that is totally unique to that person.”

It’s an apt origin for a song that captivates.

Whether because of Lily Vakili’s voice — yes, it is honey, in a cool glass of whiskey on the hottest night you remember — or because of the smooth meld of guitars and percussion, perfect base for that plush vocal, it’s hard to look away from this sound.

“I wrote a poem a while back called Lavender, and it was based on my observing a bumblebee drawing nectar from a lavender stalk — I watched the intensity of this activity and listened to the sound. It stayed with me and showed up when I began writing this song” (Lily Vakili).

The opiate soundscape of “Honey” will stay with you, too.

Have a listen right here, and don’t feel weird if you get a little lost in “Honey.” Lily Vakili “intentionally left plenty of room for a listener to build their own experience within the song and enjoy it.”

The album features lead guitarist Ben St. Jack, Joel Dorow on harmonica, bassist Matt Jovanis, and drummer Gordon Kuba and was recorded at Mozart Studio in Little Falls, New Jersey. To give listeners the “electric” feel of a live performance, songs were recorded as a band, all together in the studio, with a little sound isolation for Kuba.

Listen and pre-save “Honey,” and watch for the Honey LP September 8, on streaming services, CD, and vinyl.

Honey track listing:

1. Mapplethorpe

1. Yves Calls Her Betty

1. Sad Eyes

1. To the Park

1. Honey

1. Smeck

1. Why Can’t You Say

1. Pyro Luv Attack

1. Honey (extended)

Featured photo by Lara Callahan.

Vakili Band