by emma schoors
Available now via Epitaph Records, HUNNY’s new planet heaven is a solid second full-length from one of California’s finest and most consistent alternative acts.
Named after collaborator and friend Derek Ted’s Los Angeles studio, the record was born of the band’s renewed “campfire-style” approach to melodic brainstorming. According to guitarist Jake Goldstein, getting out of their own way and being “less precious” about what goes out is among their new objectives, and it shows. This album is them kicking their feet up without handing over a bit of proficiency.
Drummer Joey Anderson suffered an injury before the band’s tour with Waterparks this April. Instead of canceling their appearances, the band pressed on with a drum machine. On opening night, they expressed that this was fresh to them, too, then delivered a set that saw the live debut of lead single “action → reaction.” Anderson’s return made his role in the band crystal clear. “Loser” earns its wings with his cheery backbeat, and his attentiveness as a performer meant that even in a crowd of mostly new faces, he found each and every HUNNY fan and sent them a smile and a nod.
On the last night of tour the band sent “big star” into the stratosphere, sparkling with optimism and warmth to match its mid-June release. “Don’t stay in your old ways / Big star, can’t fall off it / You’re something supersonic,” vocalist Jason Yarger assures. Just over a month later, “solo” made its grand appearance. With an intro more attuned to the likes of 2018’s “Rebel Red” or 2017’s “Hard to Believe,” the third single deploys guitarist Jake Goldstein’s instrumental prowess alongside bassist Kevin Grimmett’s fiercely reliable lines.
“89cc” poses the age-old question: “Would you still love me if I was a worm?” Directed by James Baby and produced by Rachel Goldfinger, the corresponding music video features Yarger wearily entering “worm world,” and eventually being transformed himself. One might expect the more radio-friendly tracks to have been chosen as singles. While that’s true, it’s nowhere near where catchy hooks or pop-rock resonance end on new planet heaven. “Not prophetic, but it feels meant to be,” Yarger sings on opening track “bothering,” welcoming the album in with luscious guitars and a treasure chest of quotable lines.
“sixteen stitches” sees Yarger revisiting the uncertainty that defined 2015’s Pain / Ache / Loving (“I got a new scar from old decisions”) while “my own age” offers a slower acoustic burn. Motion City Soundtrack’s Justin Courtney is featured on “ring in ur ear,” a heavy hitter that harks back to previous collaborations like “Saturday Night” with Bleached. Joni Mitchell’s Court and Spark enjoys an unexpected mention on “nothing amazing happens,” and “all my luck” calls upon the romantic alternative charm that forged their fanbase in the first place.
With a string of album release shows set, HUNNY is looking forward to a successful end of year, made even sweeter by their upcoming tenth anniversary as a group. new planet heaven is a supersonic new direction for the Southern California-based quartet.