By Jay Broderick - I had first heard of Oshawa, Ontario's Mellohoney in 2022, when we took in a show at The Atria in support of Oshawa Music Week. The post-punk 2-piece of Dave Saliba, guitars and vocals and Andrew Charles, drums, were certainly impressive during that show, so we needed a closer look at the band.
A few months later, Mellohoney played a gig at The Biltmore Theatre, in support of American Rock Band Wheatus. We made certain to take in this show, and the band completely killed it. You can check out the story and photos of that show here! Ahead of that show, we also took some time to hang out with the band, and had such a cool chat with them.
So it is with no doubt that upon hearing of a new 7 track EP from the band, we needed to take an in-depth listen, ahead of Genuine People's 2024 release.
The title track of Genuine People leads off the new EP. A soft, melodic introduction greets us, as frontman Dave Saliba gently sings about all the righteous folks that sit on high. The softness only lasts half a minute though, as the track angrily crashes loud in the band's typical fashion at the 34 second mark. With the track clocking in at only 1:02, it superbly sets the tone.
"Cheap Steak" carries the energy that the second half of "Genuine People" brought to the table. Another tempo transition half a minute in, as the beat drops. We get a completely groovy guitar picking and drum beat that highlights the band's ability to change on the fly. Saliba's vocal range is also highlighted here between his throaty screams, and more rhythmically, melodic tenderness, back to the angst ridden style that began the track.
The third track on Genuine People is the complete tongue-in-cheek "My Dad's a Boomer". Lyrically, the song's a great satire comparing how time changes, yet the older generations tend to be stuck in their ways. Musically, we are treated to some continued tempo changes which the band has become synonymous with.
The EP continues with some more angst, but yet "Fell in Love With a Piece of Shit" certainly has a Beatle-esque vibe throughout. It's a really cool juxtaposed sounding track. It continues the band's unique style, and sustains their ability to switch things up, without following the same routine, track after track.
"I Don't Wanna Fuck Up" is one of the standout songs on this new EP for the band. It's got a rhythm and beat that matches some of the best written music from the increasingly more popular 2-piece bands. This track has an extremely full sound, and you can hear the pain and wanton desire, to be the best he can be, in Saliba's vocals.
The EPs 6th track "Coward" was the first single to be released, which happened back in November 2023. From a complete playthrough of the EP, it perfectly completes the recording with a nice kick in the teeth... at least ahead of the outro track "Lies", which gently gives you a breather from the 7 track EP.
Produced by Dave Schiffman, Genuine People has seen tracks 2-6 released as singles throughout the year thus far in 2024. The EP will see a full release late July/early August, with the unreleased intro title track, and the outro track "Lies". While these songs have been played live throughout the band's career, getting them recorded for this EP was a huge step for their growth, and it is as worthy as their live performances.
It's such a pleasure to see musicians not just go through the motions, but actually delivering the goods whenever they perform live. Mellohoney is one of these band's... and now they've delivered the goods with this EP.
Tracklist
Genuine People
Cheap Steak
My Dad’s A Boomer
Fell In Love With A Piece Of Shit
I Don’t Wanna Fuck Up
Coward
Lies
Mellohoney Online
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