With a singer-songwriter background sitting both within a hard rock project (Nobody’s Heroes) and a solo acoustic punk/ska outfit, it’s not hard to notice the varied influences and songwriting skills of Jonathan Hounour.
Having gained a reputation for outspoken opinions about his frustrations with the consumer-driven elements of modern life, and the affect that these can have both on culture and also on individuals, ‘Experience’ finds Honour meditating on the challenges of living in the early 21st century.
Nowhere is that meditation more apparent than on scuzz rocker ‘Loser on a winning streak’ which journals some of the more unsavoury styles of behaviour observed in an often ‘me first’ society. Loud and heavy, with a mid 90’s Brit Rock/ Grunge crossover sound (almost ‘Manics’), Honour deserves credit not just for his guitar style but also in his bravery for being honest about how he sees the world, and how these observations affect him.
Perfectly demonstrating the different sides of Honour, ‘Loser’ is followed by ‘You make me better’, a two minute, entirely acoustic, contemplation of how the love we have for other people is often our greatest source of motivation to not give in the worst of society, but instead to stand up for what we believe.
Falling between well-crafted out and out rockers (‘Half a man’, ‘Everybody in that world’, ‘Counterfeit girl’) and slower, still angry, tracks (‘Find some empathy’) ‘Experience’ is an album underpinned by a discussion about about the frustrations of modern life and how social pressures impact onto our sense of worth. Whether loud or acoustic, the album showcases a singer songwriter often angry, often frustrated, but always very honest Hounour did a great job of speaking his truth on a highly personal record..