Portland mutant-pop trio Honey Bucket, who — perhaps intentionally, perhaps unintentionally — share a name with a popular portable restroom service, are back with their latest LP, the appropriately fantastical Magical World. Described as the band’s “most fully realized endeavor,” the 13-track project is a tastefully muddied canvas of end-of-summer campside nostalgia and good ol’ Oregon feel.
With more pop sensibility than expected of a Pacific Northwest act, and a sound teetering on the edge of lo-fi, Vince Skelly (bass/vocals), Matt Radosevich (guitar/vocals), and Jon Grothman (drums) — who assembled as Honey Bucket in 2012 — play equally important roles in the mix. From the electrically charged opener “Downtown” to closing stunner “Comet Tails,” Magical World is a pleasurably hilly hike with only a few unexpected turns (like the distorted sax sound that steals the second half of “This That,” akin to the tune of your favorite drunk uncle revisiting his past talents at a family barbecue).
Relax and let Honey Bucket guide you through their real-life Magical World here, and find the album this Friday, August 19, via See My Friends. Listen below and check out Honey Bucket’s upcoming tour dates.