Harvey Russell released his debut album, Liquid Damage, in 2019, introducing his highly entertaining honky tonk sound and layered lyrics. With a second album soon to be released, Russell has a brand new single, ‘Honey Come Back to Me’, which is having its premiere here today. It’s a song that has stories within it – and a possibly unreliable narrator whose honey has taken off. On the one hand our protagonist begs his honey to come back, then says ‘you got some talking to do’, which implies that that honey of the title needs to explain her actions – a paradox that is unresolved by the song’s end but which certainly intrigues the listener, especially since Russell delivers the lyric with exactly the tone of confusion mixed with slight outrage that a person might be expected to have in this situation.
Says Russell of the song: ‘He speculates about her whereabouts and is trying to find her as it was a sudden, premeditated departure. Meanwhile he pleads for her return and an explanation about her behaviour. Ultimately, it’s hard to tell who has “done wrong”.’
‘Honey Come Back to Me’ is not only the first single from the next album but a promise that Russell will be delivering the same high-quality tunes fans will now expect after Liquid Damage – and, no doubt, some interesting stories in those songs to boot.