Taking cues from the shadowy atmospherics of 1990s indie rock acts such as PJ Harvey, Sonic Youth, and Throwing Muses, Scottish singer/songwriter Stina Tweeddale developed Honeyblood as her creative vehicle. Early efforts imparted an indie-pop edge to her material, evident on the self-titled 2014 release, while the follow-up Babes Never Die two years later amplified the guitars into a direct embodiment of her alt-rock leanings. By the time she recast Honeyblood as a one-woman endeavor for 2019’s In Plain Sight, Tweeddale had broadened the palette further, incorporating elements of folk and synth pop.
The project originated in early 2012 after Tweeddale, then active with Partwindpartwolf, crossed paths with Shona McVicar, drummer for Boycotts. An immediate rapport formed once the two shared a bill, prompting them to collaborate on the material Tweeddale had been developing independently. Their second performance, at Edinburgh’s Wide Days music conference, drew the attention of FatCat Records; the label responded to a raw, atmospheric two-song demo Tweeddale had captured in her bathroom and offered a contract in 2013. The imprint put out the debut single “Bud” later that year. To lay down the first album, Tweeddale and McVicar enlisted producer Peter Katis at a Connecticut facility, completing the sessions in ten days. Issued in July 2014, Honeyblood presented a more refined take on the duo’s raw pop sensibility.
McVicar departed shortly afterward and was succeeded by Cat Myers. After supporting slots with the Foo Fighters and Wolf Alice throughout 2015, the band turned to its sophomore effort. Tracked at London’s Fish Factory with James Dring—whose past work includes Jamie T and Gorillaz—Babes Never Die surfaced in late 2016, showcasing a denser, more powerful sonic profile. Once the accompanying tour concluded, Myers joined Mogwai on drums. Tweeddale, meanwhile, began composing material sparked by recurring night terrors as well as broader themes of dreams and hallucinations. She elected to continue Honeyblood alone and brought in John Congleton as her sole studio partner. The resulting In Plain Sight, a set of tense and disquieting pop songs, appeared on Marathon Records in May 2019.
