Honey Revenge is an American pop rock band formed in Los Angeles in 2021. The band consists of lead vocalist Devin Papadol and guitarist Donovan Lloyd. Formed after Lloyd moved to Los Angeles from Georgia and joined a five-piece band Papadol was in, the pair continued working together after the other three members left, and released their debut album, Retrovision, in June 2023.
Honey Revenge | |
|---|---|
 Honey Revenge at Slam Dunk, 2024 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Los Angeles, California |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2021–present |
| Labels | Thriller Records |
| Members |
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| Website | honeyrevenge |
History
2021-2022: Formation and early singles
While studying at Musicians Institute in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Devin Papadol formed a band with four of her classmates, which achieved minor local success; one video, of the band performing at a skate shop,[1] went viral. One of the video's viewers was Donovan Lloyd,[2] who had been the guitarist as a freshman in high school with several seniors in high school, and was about to move to Los Angeles from Georgia.[3] They[4] contacted the band to ask if they knew of any bands in need of guitarists; as it happened, the band had just lost theirs, so Lloyd sent in an audition video.[2]
Initially a five-piece, the COVID-19 pandemic prompted three of its remaining members to leave.[2] In 2021,[5] Papadol and Lloyd released their debut single, "Miss Me", under the name "Honey Revenge";[6] their name, which took Papadol and Lloyd six months to decide upon, was intended to describe the aesthetic of the band, as Papadol had wanted to make pop rock, and wanted something cutesy but rigid.[7] The song had been initially written by Papadol while in her previous band three and a half years earlier,[2] and featured a voicemail from the song's subject;[8] the track's release was delayed so the band had a collection of singles ready.[9]
2022-present: Retrovision
In June 2022, the band released "Distracted" alongside a music video,[5] before signing to Thriller Records and releasing "Ride" the following August, a track about experiencing good things after low periods.[10] A November 2022 single, "Rerun",[11] was part of a batch of singles produced between making "Miss Me" and releasing it,[9] and was written about Papadol's pandemic experience of living the same day repeatedly.[2] In February 2023, the band released "Are You Impressed?", a track about the stresses of the internet, alongside a music video.[12] The following month, they announced their debut album Retrovision,[13] and released "Airhead", Papadol's take on her own impulsive thinking.[14]
In April 2023, it was announced that Honey Revenge would support Arrows in Action on tour,[15] and later that month the band released a further Retrovision single, "Worst Apology", about stubborn people.[16] A further single, "Favorite Song", was released from the same album that May and was a sarcastic track about an intermittent texter.[17] In June 2023, the pair released Retrovision, which received positive reviews from Kerrang![18] and Distorted Sound Magazine, and which included "Distracted", "Rerun",[19] "Are You Impressed?",[18] "Worst Apology", "Favourite Song", and "Habitual",[19] the last of which a music video was released for.[20]
In October 2023, it was announced that they would support Meet Me at the Altar on their "Say It To My Face" North American Tour,[21] and in March 2024, they announced that they would tour Europe that May,[22] including two shows at Slam Dunk Festival.[23] That month, they released "Recipe For Disaster", which had been written on a TikTok Live around the same time as "Habitual" and "Favourite Song" about Papadol's emotions around the time of the band's first tour, and announced an extended version of Retrovision.[24]
Artistry
In January 2023, Papadol used an interview with Rock Sound to assert that her biggest inspirations were You Me at Six, Paramore, The Band Camino, and "Disney rock" such as Hannah Montana, Demi Lovato, Jonas Brothers, and Aly & AJ.[7] She sung on stage with Paramore on 19 July 2018, after the band's lead singer Hayley Williams invited audience members on stage to sing "Misery Business".[25] She used a May 2023 interview with Dork to assert that she spent much of her teenage years infatuated with Sleeping with Sirens and was so obsessed with Paramore's "Turn It Off" that she created an email account incorporating its lyric, while Lloyd used it to assert that they took up the guitar after playing Guitar Hero and that they wanted to become a live guitarist after seeing State Champs in concert.[3]
In an interview with Kerrang! in June 2023, Papadol stated that her "first introductions" to music were the "punk-rock chicks" Hannah Montana and Demi Lovato and the "edgier pop" of P!nk and Katy Perry and that she was also influenced by Paramore and the metalcore scene, while Lloyd told the publication that they were influenced by shapeshifting "chameleon" bands such as You Me at Six and Pierce the Veil.[4] Scene Queen is a fan of the band.[26]
Members
Band members
Tours
Headlining
- European Tour (2024)[27]