With a brand-new single, ‘Won’t Take Me Alive’, already Top 20 at U.S. rock radio, A listed at Planet Rock (UK), and following two consecutive, sold-out 2023 headline tours of the U.K. and Europe, Dirty Honey, one of rock’s hottest young bands will see their brand-new album, Can’t Find The Brakes, released on 3rd November.
This past April, the band – featuring Marc LaBelle on vocals, John Notto on guitar, Justin Smolian on bass, and new drummer Jaydon Bean – headed to Australia to record the new album with long-time producer Nick DiDia. Unlike the band’s self-titled, full-length 2019 debut, that, due to the pandemic, had to be recorded via Zoom with the band in Los Angeles and DiDia in Australia, Dirty Honey spent an entire month in the studio with DiDia.
“Just physically being together in the studio with our producer made for a very creative environment; we got into such a groove, we were very focused, and not rushed, so it was great for all of us,” said LaBelle. “We decided to call the album Can’t Find The Brakes because the title was almost a time capsule of our lives right now. We’re constantly on the move and living each day city by city. Sometimes being a touring musician can feel like you’re on a train going full speed, and even if you could find the brakes, would you really want to?”
“Having Jayden in the band has made a huge difference,” said Smolian. “He’s an a cappella singer with a background in vocal harmonies. So having him contribute, especially to the harmonies, has really added to our sound and has helped us grow a lot. LaBelle also noted, “Jaydon’s got a great approach to songwriting, and he’s willing to take the ride with a song without judgment. There’s a great Ed Sheeran quote that I love: ‘Dare to suck. You never know what’s going to happen, so just dare to suck.’ Or, as Bean puts it, ‘You’ve just got to be open to infinity, man, you’re a vessel for infinity!’”
“‘Coming Home’, ‘Don’t Put Out The Fire’, ‘You Make It Alright’, and ‘Rebel Son’ are all standouts,” said Notto. “‘Won’t Take Me Alive’ is the most kick-ass, aggressive, bad-ass rock song we’ve ever written. All of these songs widen our lane in a real energetic way.”
The album cover art for Can’t Find The Brakes was hand-painted by world-renowned, Los Angeles-based graffiti artist Kelly ‘Risk’ Gravel, who has been synonymous with the L.A. art scene for over 30 years. He was the first on the west coast to paint freight trains, freeway overpasses and signs, and the first artist in 400 years invited to paint in Michelangelo’s studio. “There really hasn’t been a good band out of L.A. that got me pumped up,” said Risk, “but Dirty Honey did. Their rock vibe, kind of like organized chaos, I wanted the artwork to say that.”
Dirty Honey are due to play a handful of major U.S. rock festivals, followed by support dates with Guns N’ Roses, then segue into their own North American headline tour. Fans this side of the Atlantic may have to wait a bit longer for live performances, but for those ordering Can’t Find The Brakes, both the album’s title track and ‘Won’t Take Me Alive’, are now available as instant-gratis tracks when you pre-save/pre-add/pre-order the album by clicking here.
