Honeycraft Explores Imagined Suffering in "Outsider"
It's perplexing how Honeycraft's signature dream pop sound hasn't taken the world by storm yet. With a voice as smooth as silk itself, there's nothing quite like a song by Honeycraft. Born Catherine Smith, the college grad studied contemporary music at USC, and the degree paid off. The girl knows how to write a song. She's dropped her latest single "Outsider," and Honeycraft continues to stun us with her work.
Behind the melodies is something grander. As much as "Outsider" physically sounds like a song for two, it's about the illusion of isolation. And it's origins come from Smith's reaction to the podcast Unfuck Your Brain by Kara Lowentheil which she called "totally life-changing." Smith spoke further with us, sharing,
"The basic idea is that our feelings are caused by our thoughts, not our circumstances. The circumstances of our lives are actually totally neutral, it’s our interpretation of them that then becomes positive or negative. This totally broke my brain and showed me that most, if not all, of my suffering was totally imagined."
With a bassline reminiscent of "Something About Us" by Daft Punk, the song was destined for greatness from the outset. Honeycraft's voice comes in as if through an early '00s low pass filter. There's a digitized texture overlay on her voice, making it something to hold on to for fear of it slipping away. Her harmonies fill the space, surrounding the bassline as if it were a bridge encapsulated by clouds. "Outsider" has enough groove to make anybody move.
"Outsider" has a reassuring, almost orienting feeling to it. Smith explores a lyrical flip on the age-old notion of feeling sorry for yourself. It's clear she's realized there's no point in wading in your own mock sorrow. Smith said of the lyrics,
"[it's] a satirical dig at the dramatic thoughts that I’ve observed in my mind. The chorus is a parody of my self pity, “oh, I’m such an outsider, poor me,” while the verses contrast with a voice of reason, a kind of light peeking through the clouds of my wallowing. My favorite line in the song is “I’m seeing all these monsters, but are they even there?” because it really sums up the experience I’ve had while questioning the things I think […] It’s also a helpful reminder for me on days where my mind is running away with itself."
Listen to "Outsider" below:
