Honeybunch is an

indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and sub ...

band from

Providence, Rhode island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...

formed in 1987 by future

Velvet Crush Velvet Crush is an American power pop band from Providence, Rhode Island, United States, that achieved prominence in indie-rock circles in the early- and mid-1990s. The band broke up in 1996 but re-formed in 1998 and have continued to record, r ...

member Jeffrey Underhill, releasing a string of records before splitting up in 1995. The band reformed in 2003.

History

The band was formed in 1987 by Jeffrey Underhill (vocals, guitar), with Peter Reilly (bass, vocals), Christine Jansky (drums), Chris Adams (keyboards), &

Claudia Gonson Claudia Miriam Gonson (born April 5, 1968) is an American musician best known for her work with The Magnetic Fields. She often provides the band lead vocals as well as performing the piano or drums. She is also the band's manager. Gonson met S ...

(drums).Strong, Martin C. (2003) "Honeybunch", in ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, The band's debut release was the "Hey Blue Sky!" single on

Bus Stop Records A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...

in 1989. The band then moved on to

Slumberland Records Slumberland Records is an American independent record label, formed in 1989 in Washington, D.C. and based in Oakland, California. The label has released recordings by Velocity Girl, Honeybunch, Lilys, Stereolab, Evans The Death, St. Christopher ...

, who issued the next two singles in 1990-1991. Several more releases followed on Summershine, and

Four-Letter Words The phrase four-letter word refers to a set of English-language words written with four letters which are considered profane, including common popular or slang terms for excretory functions, sexual activity and genitalia, blasphemies, terms re ...

, with the last on

K Records K Records is an independent record label in Olympia, Washington founded in 1982. Artists on the label included early releases by Beck, Modest Mouse and Built to Spill. The record label has been called "key to the development of independent mu ...

. Borchardt also played in

from 1989 - 1996 . He also contributed to various other projects including singing on the first album by

The 6ths The 6ths is a band created by Stephin Merritt, also the primary songwriter and instrumentalist behind The Magnetic Fields, The Gothic Archies, and Future Bible Heroes. One story has it that the band was conceived when Merritt, observing that there ...

, and playing guitar on

Pernice Brothers Pernice Brothers are an American indie rock band. Formed by Joe Pernice in 1998 after the breakup of his old band, the Scud Mountain Boys, and including Joe's brother Bob Pernice, the band recorded their first album, '' Overcome by Happiness'', ...

& related records, Doug Shepherd's band, the 'Mericans, the Masons, Cosmic Gospel Hour, and Death Vessel . A compilation of the band's work was issued in 1997, ''Time Trials 1987-1995'' on Summershine in the US, and Elefant in Spain. The band were a major influence on many American indie pop and "cuddlecore" bands that followed, with ''

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

'' stating "their smooth, minimal three-piece pop approach and independent aesthetics served as a template for countless other scenes and projects".Abebe, Nitsuh " ''Time Trials 1987-1995'' Review, ''

'', Macrovision Corporation The band continued on with a new line-up of Jeffrey Underhill (vocals, guitar), Lisa Underhill (vocals, keyboards) and Rafael Attias (guitar), for a new EP on Bus Stop in 2003. The EP was described by the ''

Boston Phoenix ''The Phoenix'' (stylized as ''The Phœnix'') was the name of several alternative weekly periodicals published in the United States of America by Phoenix Media/Communications Group of Boston, Massachusetts, including the ''Portland Phoenix'' and ...

'' as "vintage pop, with flourishes of rootsiness,

the Association The Association is an American sunshine pop band from California. During the late 1960s, the band had numerous hits at or near the top of the ''Billboard'' charts (including " Windy", " Cherish", " Never My Love" and "Along Comes Mary") and ...

, and the early electronic pop of

Depeche Mode Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in Basildon, Essex, in 1980. The band currently consists of Dave Gahan (lead vocals and co-songwriting) and Martin Gore (keyboards, guitar, co-lead vocals and main songwriting). Depeche ...

".Gulla, Bob
MUSIC: Short Stuff
", ''

'', January 2-8, 2004 ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

'' said of the EP "Honeybunch is a perfect moniker for such sweet tasting music".MacNeil, Jason (2004)
Short Takes: Honeybunch, ''Honeybunch'' EP
, ''

Discography

Singles

*"Hey Blue Sky!" (1989) Bus Stop *"Candy Breath" (1990) Slumberland *"Crooked Mile" (flexi) (1991) Four Letter Words *"Mine Your Own Business" (1991) Slumberland *"Walking Into Walls" (1991) Summershine *"Nothing But Trouble" (flexi) (1991) Milky Way *"Endure Me" (flexi) (1992) Four Letter Words *"Count Your Blessings" (1994) K *''Honeybunch'' EP (2003) Bus Stop

Albums

*''Time Trials 1987-1995'' (1997) Summershine, Elefant Records

References

{{Authority control American indie pop groups Musical groups established in 1987 Musical groups disestablished in 1995 Slumberland Records artists