The self-described dealership noise punk band, Honduh Daze (ha, get it?) return with their first release in five years, Beater EP, a monster twenty-three minute single with distinct movements. Jamie Weiner and Terry Ball make up this Tulsa, OK based duo, who have become quite the sensation with their enigmatic and highly entertaining live shows. During the course of their live set, the performance gets interrupted multiple times with overly aggressive commercials advertising Honda vehicles. In fact, their set reaches its conclusion with the members of the band quite literally trying to get audience members to sign a car lease.
The music video for “Server Nightmares” is just about as strange as what can be expected from this duo. The video opens with someone walking around on sand dunes before eventually lying down for a nap. The perspective quickly switches to a diner filled with unruly customers, capturing the horrors of what it’s like to work in the food service industry. The windy feedback and chaotic sound of the music creates an anxiety-inducing response within the viewer, allowing listeners to experience what the overwhelming environment of the service industry is like.
As for the EP itself, it begins with a frantic, static buzzing before a spoken-word introduction takes center spotlight, describing an unnerving phenomen. This is just a taste of the musical journey Honduh Daze takes us on. The next movement—the highlight of the EP— features an anecdote about getting a speeding ticket and going to traffic court to pay it. When an argument ensues, she screams, “I’ve got every right to be loud,” which is most certainly the thesis of the EP.
Here’s where things get interesting—even more so. Listening to the EP on Spotify vs. listening to it on Bandcamp provides a drastically different experience. At this point, the Spotify version abruptly ends at the nine minute mark with an automated voice, calling the streaming service a garbage platform and that listeners should “go to a platform that isn’t fucked and treats artists better.”
But on the Bandcamp recording, Honda strikes back, interrupting the EP to voice their displeasure. A sludgy sound accompanies the tirade before the assault eventually turns into a maniacal, robotic laugh. Suddenly, the EP gets turned on its head with the return of the band, accompanied by bombastic drums. “Politeness is cool,” she screams.
Any album this strange and unique is indicative of a band that knows exactly what they’re doing, possessing the gumption to do it on their own terms and in their own way. Each choice is deliberate and depicts the high level of creativity Ball and Weiner share.
Check out the EP on Bandcamp and Spotify below.
