Dirty Honey Dirty Honey

When it came time to record their self-titled full-length debut album, Dirty Honey – vocalist Marc LaBelle, guitarist John Notto, bassist Justin Smolian, and drummer Corey Coverstone – wasn't about to mess with what was already working. Teaming up with producer Nick DiDia (Rage Against the Machine, Pearl Jam), who also produced the band's 2019 self-titled EP, Dirty Honey again captured the lightning-in-a-bottle dynamics and energy of their live sound.

"As a guitarist, I'm always inspired by the everlasting pursuit of the perfect riff," says Notto. "I also wanted to extend the artistic statement that we had already made. We weren't looking to sound different, or prove our growth, necessarily. It was more about, 'Oh, you thought that was good? Hold my beer.'" "Because of the pandemic," added drummer Coverstone, "we had a lot more time to write and prepare, which was great. It meant that we were able to workshop the songs a lot more, and I think it really made a difference."

The Dirty Honey album indeed builds on the band's output to date, with airtight songwriting that plays up their strengths: sexy, bluesy, nasty rock 'n' roll, melodic hard rock, and soulful 70s blues-rock. On "The Wire," LaBelle reaffirms his status as one of contemporary rock's best vocalists, while "Another Last Time" is a raunchy, timeless ballad about a toxic relationship that you just can't stop saying goodbye to. "Tied Up" and the album's lead single "California Dreamin,'' both feature smoking guitar solos bookended by massive riffs and hooks.