Drawing inspiration from pre-school nursery rhymes and ‘90s alternative rock—bear with us—the often dreamy, sometimes distorted indie pop band Honeypuppy has released an EP, Nymphet, that relies on refreshing simplicity and unexpected melodies to convey nostalgic tunes.
Released Jan. 24 through band member Adam Wayton’s boutique label Indecent Artistry, the five-track EP includes two bonus track demos that work as a frame of reference for how the band got started under lead songwriter Josie Callahan. In the spring of 2020, Callahan recorded her first song, the “Nymphet” demo, completely by herself for a UGA music business class project. For Callahan’s final semester that fall, she moved in with Wayton (bass) and Will Wise (lead guitar). Both already in bands around Athens, Wayton and Wise were impressed by the second track Callahan was working on for a school project, the demo “Penny Press,” and helped her with the recording in the basement studio.
“I would say that’s kind of where the band really started,” says Callahan, who had never been in a band up to that point. “I feel very glad that I ended up meeting them, because I think that it would have taken me a lot longer to have gotten to the point of being able to play in a band with other people and actually play shows… Adam and Will were constantly writing music and playing music to where if they were gonna be like, ‘Hey, listen to this song I wrote,’ it just didn’t feel like a big deal. It just kind of felt like part of what they did every day. So I think that sort of took a little bit of pressure off.”
Callahan notes that she listens to a lot of ‘90s music, particularly in the vein of The Breeders and Violent Femmes, and that’s worked its way into Honeypuppy’s sound. However, from the EP’s cover art to lyrics and the songwriting process, Callahan’s time spent as a preschool teacher has had a heavy hand in shaping the project. Some of the songs started with Callahan basing them off a nursery rhyme, pulling lines that had a familiarity about them for listeners rather than a blatant connection. This process started because she was having to go to work every day while still focusing on making music, so she began to use her work environment as fuel for songwriting.
“That environment, being around kids and all of the books and toys, it makes you remember a lot of things that you kind of forgot. And then you look at them in a new way,” says Callahan.
The bouncy song “Suck Up” includes the innocent line: “Pass me the tape and pass me the glue/ I’m gonna stick stick stick myself to you.” Callahan says she wrote that line while doing a craft with children at the school and thought it would be great for a song. The EP’s closing track, “Kerosine,” takes a darker turn to talk about serial killers and their adolescent idiosyncrasies, but it maintains a lighter sound with comedic undertones. Playfulness permeates Callahan’s songwriting.
Nymphet explores the gritty trials of girlhood and growing up, covering topics like unreciprocated crushes, imaginary scenarios and second-guessing yourself. As a songwriter, Callahan emphasizes the delivery of her words—a simplistic style that makes the subjects and themes relatable and nostalgic for any listener. Wayton, Wise and drummer Jack Colclough’s contributions add contrast to Callahan’s playfully sweet vocals with chaotic breaks while also emphasizing what’s behind her words with quick intensity. The collaboration as a whole delivers something interesting that’s easily digestible while still having technical complexity.
“I think what I really like about the process is I can come in with a song, you know, lyrics, chord progression, and have the basic outline. Jack, Will and Adam will look at that and be like, let’s mess this up a little bit, and it’ll be stuff that I wouldn’t have thought to do,” says Callahan.
Honeypuppy’s EP release, which will have physical tapes for sale, will be celebrated with a show tonight at The World Famous with Sunset Honor Unit and Neat Freak. Then the band will celebrate the music video release for “Nymphet” on Feb. 9 at Ciné accompanied by Monsoon and Dog Person.
WHO: Honeypuppy, Sunset Honor Unit, Neat Freak
WHEN: Wednesday, Jan. 24, 9 p.m.
WHERE: The World Famous
HOW MUCH: $10
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