It’s July 1st. It’s Canada Day (in Canada), we’re three days away from American Independence Day, and the summer is here in all of its glory. It feels like it’s the right time for something tasty, and here to provide it is Royal Honey and their brand-new EP, Sweet Heat. Due out on July 2nd via The Vault Records, the album is a clinic in vintage rock n’ roll, with plenty of strut and swagger at work here. This is essentially seven new summer anthems to get you grooving. The band recently hit the studio to lay down these tracks with the specific intent for them to ring in a new season of hope and optimism after such a discouraging, demoralizing time.
They took all of that pent-up aggression into the studio with them to craft a batch of new hits that can only be described as hot, horny, and hooky. Pushing all the seriousness to the side, most of the songs are unapologetically about sex and having a good time. You throw in the odd reference to drinking and old-time westerns, and you got yourself a fun ride.
Commenting on the new recording, Eric Rodger shares, “‘Sweet Heat’ culminates the end of a very long, excruciating, year-long covid winter. People are donning their swimsuits, flocking to beaches, drinking fruity drinks, and cranking fun, energetic tunes! Royal Honey’s ‘Sweet Heat’ delivers these summer sounds of untethered propellant, combining elements of The New York Dolls, AC/DC, Thin Lizzy, and The Stones, and audibly breaches the floodgates of this mandated cabin fever which we all endured. This album oozes images of playful summer sexiness, with thumpy, danceable rhythms, blistering guitars, and catchy, melodic, anthemic vocals!
“Lead off single ‘Cut N Run’ was released in March 2021 as a preview to the album. ‘Cut N Run’ is a catchy dose of street-side rock n roll, straight from the gutters of 1970s New York City. Guitars on top of guitars, this track sets the pace for the 7-song EP. ‘The Tease’ is the second single, being released just days prior to the album. ‘The Tease’ could easily depict the scene in the US in May 2020, where everything was opening back up, turning from red to yellow to green, just to have the carpet ripped back out from under us again with surging cases and establishment shutdowns. The song is definitely about torturous rejection, despite being shown all the signs of having a chance. ‘She’ll tell you go and go and go, and then it’s no, no, no…’ Much like our previous year. But that didn’t stop us – we endured the endless winter, and now we can finally bask in the sweet heat.”
Featuring singer Bobby C, guitarist Davey “Nine Fingers,” bassist Greggy Velvet, guitarist Eric “Ginger Honey” Rodger, and drummer Angel O, these guys wear their rock n’ roll hearts on their sleeves. The Pittsburgh quartet came together in 2018 when Angel O hand picked each member himself for a new band he wanted to start. Some of these names are probably familiar to you, with the band featuring members of bands such as The Dirty Charms, The Ultimatics, The Cheats, The Addicts, The Science Fiction Idols, and so many more. The poise, the sound, and the attitude of the group is heavily influenced by the sound and the image of The Rolling Stones, The Cult, Guns N Roses, AC/DC, and The New York Dolls. It’s like an orgy of ’70s and ’80s hard rock with the unrepentance of late ’70s New York and London punk.
Royal Honey is back, and let’s be thankful that they are because it’s time to rock out!
Sweet Heat Track Listing:
1. Cut-n-Run
2. The Tease
3. Bleedin’ And Dyin’
4. Wrong Way
5. Gimme Gimme
6. Liquid Dynamite
7. Pull The Plug
Upcoming Tour Dates:
07/02 – Pittsburgh, PA – Thunderbird Cafe
07/07 – Warrendale, PA – Jergels Rhythm Grille
07/09 – Saltsburg, PA – Gigaroo
07/25 – Pittsburgh, PA – Thunderbird Cafe
08/06 – Millvale, PA – Millvale Music Festival
08/07 – Millvale, PA – Millvale Music Festival
08/27 – 28 – Slippery Rock, PA – Grass Roots Music Festival
09/03 – Pittsburgh, PA – Kollar Club
09/17 – Etna, PA – Porky’s
10/09 – Pittsburgh, PA – Millvalle Harvest Festival
10/15 – Lyndora, PA – Lyndora Hotel
11/13 – Warrendale, PA – Jergels
11/27 – Irwin, PA – Brandy’s On Main
