Interview: Honest Men
The band Honest Men are back with their deeply intuitive sophomore album Field of Vision. This record follows band members Seth Findley (frontman), Brooks Whitehurst (guitar), and Zach Solomon (drums) down the road of rediscovering the core of humanity through redefined beliefs, new love, lost love, loneliness, and all those eerily familiar experiences in between. Honest Men are ecstatic to introduce fans to the next stage of their artistry with new album Field of Vision out tomorrow Nov. 12th and we’re here to tell you all about it!
Formed in 2016 after meeting at college in Waco, TX, Honest Men has had their sights set on creating music that felt real since the very beginning of their musical journey together. Greeting the world with their shimmering debut album I’m Okay, Honest Men gained millions of streams on Spotify alone as fans clung to tracks like “Rose”, “Shoulders Back”, and “Mad Love”. With their new album comes fascination in self-discovery and a very clear motive to make a “timeless” record. As the band explained, they gave themselves the freedom of a loose deadline and musical fluidity while piecing together this record over the course of COVID-19.
For first time listeners of Honest Men’s music, you may be surprised by their effortless ability to describe intense, complicated emotions through a bird’s-eye view. Always introspective and never ones to shy away from vulnerability, Honest Men are as authentic in their artistry as you could ever hope for.
“We wanted to write songs that were REAL. Real for us. Meaning, this didn’t have to be a “seeker-friendly” record. It’s a record of self-exploration, asking questions, experiencing hopelessness and heartbreak, re-learning things about yourself and your beliefs, and navigating life along the way.”
Kicking off their new music era with lead single “A Spectrum”, Honest Men quickly found their footing in an entirely new sonic landscape. With the first song off Field of Vision comes the push and pull of natural life. There are hardships and triumphs, broken relationships and beautiful beginnings. “A Spectrum” celebrates the endurance of mere existence and life’s ironic way of unfolding during times of uncertainty.
As the band explains, “A Spectrum” song stands as an intricate, intentional first step into Honest Men’s new sonic era. “A Spectrum” encompasses that itching sense of curiosity in the wonders of humanity and seeing our internal battles reflected in the world around us. Self-described as an ‘album band’ versus a ‘singles band’, Honest Men says they struggled to choose the singles released before their new album as they feel so strongly about each and every track on their new body of work. Their eagerness for each song to have its own unique listening experience is a testament to the band’s soulful, carefully-crafted artistry.
As we sit here, hours away from it’s official release, I can confidently describe Field of Vision as an interest-piquing record. It embodies the feeling of standing on the ledge, with timeless, childlike wonder clouding the edges of your vision. The band members of Honest Men know that dancing around the ultimate leap of faith is no option here. As humans, we must throw ourselves into uncertainty in order to experience the fullness of life. Sometimes it just takes that one thing to give you the push you need to absolutely soar. If this album had an overall purpose, I would dare to say it does just that.
“This record is a turning point for us. While a lot of the lyrics are still shrouded in poetic mystery, we didn’t shy away from getting to the heart of the matter. I think there has been hesitation in the past to get to the meat of the subject, but I don’t think there will be hesitations moving forward. We’re tired of fake music, we want to make music that’s real.”
The most telling description of Honest Men’s new album comes from the band members themselves, “Our music and songwriting became less of a celebration of what CAN we do and say, and more of an introspective look into what SHOULD we do and say”. If you are looking for a reflective, authentic record that forces you to face the beautiful music of life, look no further. Honest Men have carefully crafted a body of work that is timelessly wonderful. While this past year challenged humanity in more ways than we could have ever imagined, this band found the beauty in solitude, the gleaming light in overwhelming darkness.
Honest Men’s brand new album Field of Vision is yours come tomorrow, November 12th. You can pre save the album HERE. Be sure to follow the band on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook to keep up with all their future music releases.
Interview by Kelly Carrazzone
