Wade Easy has been moving quickly, but Honey Venom doesn’t sound rushed. As his third album in under a year, the record continues the Appalachian psychedelia of Sleeping With the Sun On and Sea of Night while shifting the emphasis towards something more sensual, stripped-back and tactile. Across ten tracks, he combines hazy guitar, loose rhythms and understated vocals with elements of cosmic Americana, garage rock and heavier psychedelic textures.
Standout ‘Hot Honey’ gives a clear sense of the album’s mood. The track moves with a restrained pulse, using repetition and atmosphere rather than obvious dramatic peaks. Its appeal lies in that patience. Nothing is hurried, and the tension is allowed to build gradually.
While tracks like ‘Pirate of Sand’ and ‘Venom’ bring a darker shade to the record, adding more weight and reinforcing the way Honey Venom approaches love as something complicated rather than comforting. Attraction, devotion and unease sit close together throughout the album, giving the songs a slightly unsettled quality.
His immersive writing and production favour suggestion over explanation. The guitars often feel worn and close, while the rhythm section remains loose enough to preserve a sense of spontaneity. There’s a clear interest in texture, but the arrangements rarely become crowded.
Compared with his previous releases, Honey Venom feels warmer and more physical. The nocturnal atmosphere remains, but there’s also more emphasis on desire, closeness and the instability that can come with both.
Self-recorded in Morgantown and mastered by Carl Saff, the album maintains an intimate character throughout.
Honey Venom is a focused and confident continuation of Wade Easy’s recent run of releases. It doesn’t radically reinvent his sound, but it sharpens the qualities that already make his music distinctive: repetition, atmosphere, restraint and a willingness to let uncertainty remain unresolved.