As one would expect, a blog called Mesmerized is particularly susceptible to music that’s dreamy and hazy, packed with evocative charge and timeless allure. It’s only natural, then, for us to appreciate everything Honddu is doing at the moment. Hailing from Wales, the talented duo crafts material that’s part cinematic and luscious and part retro and nostalgic. They seem to move on a spectrum, going from angelic and mysterious to kinetic and uplifting at a moment’s notice.
‘Go Gentle’ belongs to the former category, a hypnotic and ethereal cut with a great deal of elegance and anthemic flair. Oscillating between trip-hop and fringe alt-pop, the single is certainly our favourite episode among Honddu’s latest EP, also standing as its title track. In it, we reckon with Holly Müller’s expansive and introspective vocals, well matched by David Neale’s retro-flavoured, analogue-coded sound design. There’s a strong, heartwarming character in everything the duo touches, a quality that’s also aided by the apparent use of an old cassette tape recorder.
From a lyrical standpoint, ‘Go Gentle’ draws inspiration from Dylan Thomas’ ‘Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night’, a literary masterpiece that well adapts to the song’s aural urgency and overall intensity. Delving deeper into their songwriting, Honddu explains how the record seeks to capture “the disorientation of youth, chaos and emotional freefall”.
Recommended! Discover ‘Go Gentle’ now: