‘Honest’, the latest offering from Dublin four-piece Kodaline, is a move towards a bolder, perhaps more aggressive sound, away from the acoustic style of previous hits ‘All I Want’ and ‘Love Like This’. Although it has hints of the overly-emotional drama the band were criticised for in their debut album – the video features tumblr-esque silhouetted hand-holding and a couple jumping around in the sea – the song is at least aiming for a more mature perspective.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dg4MZR9JW6A&w=740&h=422]
Vinny May’s almost militant drums and the rolling build of the pre-chorus give the song more punching power than previous efforts, and the arena-ready anthemic chorus it leads up to is sure to garner airplay. Lyrically it remains by-the-book; vocalist Steve Garrigan sings “if you lie to me again / I’ll be the one that walks away”, and wonders “is it all in my head / or was it something I said?”. The ideas are nothing new but the band seem genuine enough, and what’s more interesting is the move towards an indie rock sound, where they had previously been categorised as a folk band and nothing more.
‘Honest’ is certainly enjoyable as a lead single, and shows promise for the band’s upcoming LP Coming Up For Air.
Words by Priya Bryant