London’s soulful art-pop duo HONNE, comprised of Andy Clutterbuck and James Hatcher, today release ‘Say That You Will Wait For Me’, featuring the rising 22-year-old UK based artist Liang Lawrence. This track is the final preview from their highly anticipated new album OUCH, set for release on Friday 6 September via Smile More Recordings / AWAL Recordings.
‘Say That You Will Wait For Me’ exemplifies HONNE’s talent for crafting warm and deeply intimate electronic art-pop that has connected with so many worldwide. Liang Lawrence, whose debut EP ‘letters to myself’ racked up over 1 million streams within weeks of its August 2023 release, delivers vocals that beautifully complement Andy Clutterbuck’s delicate style as they explore the theme of longing for and missing someone. Reflecting on the track, Clutterbuck shares, “‘Say That You Will Wait For Me’ is a familiar subject matter for us. It’s about going away and missing the heck out of someone. This song really touches a nerve however, as now I’m a parent, it’s doubly hard to say goodbye and to leave. It’s also heartbreaking to leave your kid behind as when you say goodbye you know they don’t understand that you aren’t coming home that evening. ‘Say That You Will Wait For Me’ is my way of saying please say you’ll remember me when I get back home.”
Deep down HONNE has always been about two people, and the friendship between them. Sure, the UK alt-pop duo have reached incredible heights – from those initial humble recording sessions in Bow, East London they’ve notched up more than three billion streams, selling more than 210,000 tickets for their live shows. But alongside this, it’s been a story of growth, maturity, and kinship. On their enchanting new album – the playfully titled OUCH – James Hatcher and Andy Clutterbuck are ready to tap back into their foundations and realise the kind of melodic effervescence and heart-tugging songwriting that only HONNE can provide.
2021’s Let’s Just Say The World Ended A Week From Now, What Would You Do? pushed the duo as far as they could go. Laden with unbelievable features – including walk-on roles from Khalid, Griff, Niki and Pink Sweats – it reinforced their global stature, seeing them co-write and co-produce RM from BTS’ track ‘Closer’ in 2022. Closing their deal with Atlantic, the future is going to look a little different. The new album is being released through their own Smile More Recordings / AWAL Recordings, and for their radically ambitious independent era HONNE want to remove the gloss, and show the emotions underneath.
OUCH is impeccably detailed, and wonderfully entrancing, it’s also informed by profound shifts in their own lives. Andy Clutterbuck has become a father to two young children, balancing his commitment to the group to his own burgeoning family life. For James Hatcher, too, adulthood has come calling – he got married to his long-time partner just before sessions began.
“The new album is largely about my kids,” explains Andy. “It’s about the wonderful things they bring to your life, but then also the isolation parenthood can bring, before coming through the other side. It’s a playful way to say: it’s wonderful, but it’s going to hurt.” For James, too, shifts in his personal life have impacted on his creativity – he feels “grounded” by marriage, and unafraid of disapproval.
The album is built as a narrative, beginning with a teenage crush, and closing with the responsibility of family life. ‘Girl In The Orchestra’ may be a sweet tale of adolescent infatuation at a school music group, but ‘Dents In The Sofa’ is an incredibly powerful message from the brink. Andy’s wife had a difficult experience during the birth of their first child, and it’s something he still finds hard to fully discuss. “If there weren’t any NHS staff or doctors around she probably would have died,” he notes. “There was this moment in the hospital when a big red button was pressed, the room flooded with doctors and I was pushed to the back. The lyrics imagine she had gone, and there’s just a dent in the sofa where she once was. It’s a dark story, but it’s ultimately a positive experience to come through it.”
Touching on everything from early 90s hip-hop production to slick 21st century pop via torch songs and ballads, OUCH is testimony to the frenetic creativity only HONNE can conjure. Recently taking the decision to move out of their long-time studio, the pair decamped to South London, occupying a space in Deptford. Near-neighbours included Oh Wonder and Tom Misch, with this creative community – and extra space – re-booting the pair’s approach to music-making. “It was definitely fun to make,” James grins. “It was a reminder that what we do is enjoyable. When you do it a lot, you can get stuck in your ways. But it’s OK for it to be fun! We’ve re-learned how to relax, and try new things.”
Every single aspect of HONNE’s new album feels expertly detailed. From the cover art – a design taken from Shanghai based illustrator Sheng Chen – to the music videos, the pair have overseen every single aspect of the project. “One of the things we’ve been looking forward to is for this album was being able to go back to how we started,” says Andy. “It’s very us, everything we’ve done is made by us, and we wanted to be across it all and take back control. It feels really nice to get it back and put your stamp on everything.”
A real-life coming of age tale, it closes with a tender moral from a father to his children. Andy states: “The album finishes with a message to my children, basically saying: life is good, but you only get one so make the most of it while you can.”
