Bull strike gold with 2nd album ‘Engines of Honey’
The York unit share the follow-up to their 2021 debut album.
★★★★★
Photo: Dion Fletcher
Since the release of their debut album Discover Effortless Living back in 2021, Bull have put themselves on the map with their spectacular, well-crafted sound that has been crucial in shaping them into the beloved band they are today.
Truly an album that takes ‘killer, no filler’ to a whole new level, kicking off with its first single Start A New; a truly befitting beginning to their second offering. Head Exploder expands this massive jangly sound, digging into a trove of pulsating guitar and going all in, before second single Red Rooves takes over, another truly magnificent song that puts Bull atop the list of always-incredible-never-terrible bands that I’ve just made up in my head.
Weston-Super-Mare follows suit, picking up from the high energy of its predecessor but giving us a short burst in its two-minute run time. It’s enough, trust me. Next comes the ever-kooky track in the form of Imaginary Conversations, detailing all the imaginary conversations you have and sung in the most Bull-like way (this is the highest compliment), with a melody that feels like running through expansive fields in the middle of July.
Stepping back to Beach Boys-esque harmonies, Stranger takes a new form around every corner; twisting and shaping into something fresh and exciting, taking you on a journey through genres within four minutes of blistering sounds. The same can be said for most Bull songs; they pull at the creative boundaries, blending genres until the lines are blurred and then some more.
Jan Fin and Febo lower the tone, traipsing into the undeniably earnest Do It For The Money, a song about getting a “real” job — whatever a real job is anymore. Moving to an electronic, high-strung sound, Crick is exactly what the title implies it’ll be about, delivering a similar sound to that of Dinosaur Jr.
Ending on an incredibly strong note with two of the best songs: One Green Eye and Sid, it’s clear this is a band sticking to their guns; creating an album that is so Bull-like within all it’s layers, yet completely different from their pop-leaning debut album.
Recorded in between Amsterdam and their hometown of York, the album is the result of five talented musicians constantly questioning being in a band, as frontman Tom Beer put it: “The song [Head Exploder] is about the confusion of being in a band and pushing your artistic wares, wondering whose fault it all is.” And, with the cost-of-living crisis in full swing and just being in a band no longer viable, we’re ever so thankful for Bull’s perseverance in these unforgiving times.
The music world is a lot better with these five in it.
Engines of Honey is out now.
