Molly Payton may still be at the tail end of her teens, but she’s already established herself as an exciting young songwriter – and there’s evidently still much more to come. Although she established herself in London, she’s currently in her native New Zealand, sending files back and forth with producer and collaborator Oli Barton-Wood (Nilüfer Yanya, Porridge Radio, Sorry), and today she shares the first fruit of this labour in the form of a song called “Honey”. She says:
“Honey is about that moment in a relationship where things stop working as well as they used to. This song was me taking responsibility for my part in the decay of it all, acknowledging that I’d been distant and that I’d keep trying to make things work. I think there’s also an undercurrent of frustration with myself for letting my past interfere with my present. Like most songs I write it was mostly just me working through my own mind and emotions, but I guess the message of this song would be to make sure you’re not giving too much of yourself away. Take time to make sure you’re ok so that you can support the people you love.”
Built on the kind of boundless and open guitars that fuelled the great rock songs of the 90s, “Honey” is Payton’s wide-armed welcome to the mess that is her relationship – turning it into a universal anthem in the process. Atop these festival-ready guitars, her voice and lyrics leave nothing on the floor, addressing herself to the titular “Honey”, whom she wants to love, but admits “I always end up running away from you / It’s the only thing I know how to do.” Her surprisingly dusky voice makes a perfect foil for the reflective guitar, bouncing off it up to a cathartic peak as she lets out euphoric admission after another, making promises that sound concrete but we know aren’t guaranteed. After a tumultuous ride where our hearts are battered left and right, she concludes with a deserved sigh, “I’m gonna try for you,” and we feel her humanity and desire to be better, even with all those fears lurking.
Watch the video for “Honey” below or listen to it on streaming platforms.
“Honey” is out on Bug Records, and hopefully there will be more soon. You can find Molly Payton on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
