Review: Honey Revenge - Loving and Losing

Artist: Honey Revenge
Album: Loving and Losing
Label: Thriller Records

Life is fleeting and if you blink too fast, you’re bound to miss it. The biggest of life’s lessons, though, are through two mediums: Loving and Losing. When you find out how to love yourself, you begin to find your own self-worth, create healthy boundaries and prepare for what you truly want in a relationship. Through loving others, you find yourself figuring how to navigate another person’s feelings, emotions and actions. Through loss, you begin to realize how much that person meant to you and you find yourself creating reminders to make the most of the memories you create on this earth. Through both of these, though, the most beautiful art can be born. Take Eric Clapton’s “Tears from Heaven” or Frida Kahlo’s powerful 1932 painting, Henry Ford Hospital. Both of these masterpieces were born from immense loss and paint visual and audible pictures of the stages of grief. Then, you have one of the most popular love songs of all time in “That’s Amore” by crooner Dean Martin, along with albums like Vespertine by Bjork, and Hounds of Love by Kate Bush. All of these have a unique way of expressing the feelings of love and loss, conveying the story from the artists eyes or from a concept, born from those emotions. While some of these examples have a light and airy feeling to them, they are meant to paint a picture of what it’s like to be in love — or to feel a great loss. LA’s Honey Revenge has been crafting their sophomore album, Loving and Losing, for a long time and, in the process, has been testing the waters with some of those songs live. For anyone who was at their 2024 headliner of the same name, some of these songs will feel familiar, yet have a new life breathed into them. The writing progressed into late 2025 and early 2026 before it was finalized and became what you hear today. Songs like “Risk,” which was written as a stand-alone single to bridge the gap between Retrovision (Deluxe Edition) and the aforementioned headliner, eventually made the cut. The title track and “Jealousy Monster” also made their debut on that tour but all of these songs have slight changes that make it evident that, while the songs were great in their current form… they were missing something to make them feel complete. Now, the time is here and they’re ready to share the full, 14-track experience with the world. The artwork, seen above, depicts Devin Papadol, draped in constellations created from her birthmarks and purple hues. It’s a reminder that we are all a product of the universe and its experiences.

The album opens up with “Technicolor,” a driving, rock-centric track that immediately grabs the listener’s attention. While there is no official video for this track, I can picture the band fading through different, bright colors throughout this track. It is immediately clear that the songwriting and the instrumentals of this track show a true growth from the previous album and even the deluxe edition tracks. This track is about being lost but finding new love and the obsessive feelings that come along with it. The track, lyrically, compares the sense of being lost in black and white, but color was breathed into life when love was found. It’s bouncy, fun and features some of the most soaring vocals we’ve heard from Devin Papadol yet. Additionally, guitarist Donny Lloyd doesn’t need a flashy solo to prove their talent but their presence in this track is immense without being too overpowering.

The album’s first official single was “Poison Apple Baby.” This was released right before they hit the road with Spiritbox and Periphery in the Fall of 2025. The response to this one has quickly pushed it to a fan-favorite, right up along with “Airhead” and “Rerun.” This song is probably the closest we will ever get to a “metal” song from the band. It’s heavy, gritty and even features a breakdown with a faded out vocal. This is the song that actually got some mosh pits to start for the band, introducing a new audience to their unique sound. This song is about manipulative, self-centered individuals. They will smile in your face and then turn around and stab you in the back, using their looks and popularity to sway popular opinion. They say beauty is only skin deep and this song is a true reminder of that. This remains one of my favorite songs that the duo has released. I’ve left the video for this song below, so be sure to check it out.

“Hot Commodity” has more of a prevalent bassline than any other song on the album. It feels like a theme song for someone walking into a club and getting that “all eyes on me” vibe. This song is about the pressure that musicians feel by the people who only support them, because they have made it. They weren’t in the empty rooms coming up, they weren’t cheering alongside the release of their first single but the moment they began to blow up.. these people “were always there.” It also seems to commentate on parasocialism, which has become more and more prevalent in the age of social media. The way that the track progresses almost feels like it could be straight out of the late 80s or early 90s. 808s and funky guitar licks create a neon landscape that gets brighter with every second.

“Trust Issues,” another major highlight of the album, is about really losing confidence in your own judgement. This song came at a point in Dev’s life where she was wondering if she should even continue with music. It was a period of self-reflection that resulted in a pivotal moment for the album and its themes. While the air of this song feels carefree, the lyrical weight hits harder than one might like to admit. The way this track builds from pseudo-80s synthwave to that contemplative, solo night drive feeling is impressive. The band debuted this song live and I can see it becoming a staple in their set. It’s such a fun song and has a lot of opportunity for the types of fan interaction that the band loves.

I think there if there is any one track that properly conveys the themes and sound of the album, it is that of “Sorry Much.” This track has synths, tambourine, driving guitar rhythms and pop sensibilities. The saying goes “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me!” This song conveys that particular sentiment perfectly. It’s about continuing to make excuses and putting up with someone who is constantly proving that they aren’t worth it. It’s about that person (or people) you continue to give second, third, hundredth chances until you have had enough. It expresses the vicious cycle of self-blame within this situation, where you cut ties with the person, return to them, just to have it all happen again. It’s about breaking free from the hold that this person has on you, no matter how much it hurts. The vocal layers and harmonies on this song are among my favorite in their catalog.

‍”Risk” is a track that started off as a stand-alone single but took on a life of its own and was added to the album after all. This song was released prior to the 2024 headline tour, being debuted on that same tour. This track is when we began to feel a new, experimental version of the band where the identity is there… but it’s hidden behind smoke, synth and mirrors. This was also one of Donny’s most memorable guitar solos to date. This song is about taking risks, not being afraid to fall and being true to yourself. It’s about the idea of risk vs reward and the thrill of chasing your dreams.

“Sunday Scaries” is the quintessential Honey Revenge party anthem. This is so early-era Ke$ha coded that it’s evident that it was the direct inspiration for the sound of this particular track. This is about forgetting about all your troubles, drinking your cares away and escaping everything that isn’t being present in that moment. This is one of those songs you could actually hear being played to jam out to at a party, but it has an interesting twist… a semi-breakdown in the bridge? While it may feel out of place, I believe it is meant to convey how heavy the weight of poor choices can be, but overlooking any consequences that may loom ahead.

The weight bears down to its heaviest moment in the title track, “Loving and Losing.” If this track doesn’t bring a tear to your eyes, there’s no way that you’re human. This track made its debut during the 2024 tour and got everyone in that packed house sobbing. This track, as Devin describes it, is about the emotions she went through when she lost her father. A song was always promised to him but this is not the song that was intended, just the one that came out in the moment. This song is a not-so-subtle reminder to hold your loved ones tight and make sure that you make the best of the memories you create. This track is a no-frills, acoustic track that really drives home the idea that life is short —and to make the most of it. The part that might be the most moving, though, is the voicemail from Dev’s father that is at the end. He tells her how proud he is of her, he loves her and he wants her to keep writing music.

Loving and Losing deals with a lot of heaviness, not in terms of musicality but in the themes it conveys. This is a band who had to learn to trust themselves again, trust each other and lean on each other in the toughest of times. What persists is that they have a clear-defined identity that they will continue to evolve when necessary. It’s no coincidence that the band name, Honey Revenge, fits perfectly. It is a pure idea of what you can expect from the band. Moreover, though, this album is a clear-cut representation of who they are both in this moment and what they present to the future. What’s next for this band can only be speculated but it’s clear that the future is as technicolor as the neon spotlights that they will find themselves in. Catch them on tour this fall with Dead Poet Society and support from Hunny and labelmates Broadside. This is sure to be a tour to remember, so get those tickets by clicking the flyer below! Loving and Losing is out now on Thriller Records and can be streamed/purchased using the links below!