On first listen, ‘I Love You, Honeybear’ sounds like a corny ode to Disney-inspired romance.
Father John Misty’s voice is full of feeling as he sings over music that alternates between being idyllically soulful to operatically dramatic. And the album’s title certainly doesn’t help. Its allusion to sugar-coated fluff only adds pink to the apparent dream, when in fact its message is the opposite.
More of a fairytale gone wrong, the record’s true face shines through on further listens and deeper engagement with the lyrics. The heartfelt, sometimes whiny sound is simply a charming wrapping for cynical wit.
The Grinch is wearing a lovey-dovey mask.
The album’s concept – the story of ‘a guy named Josh Tillman’ – reveals the underlying theme. Lyrics such as, “Maybe love is just an economy based on resource scarcity”, hint at the protagonist’s more pessimistic, often fed-up and bad-news-accepting nature. In a letter describing the new release, Misty says it best: “The album progresses, sometimes chronologically, sometimes not, between two polarities: the first of which is the belief that the best love can be is finding someone who is miserable in the same way you are and the end point being that love isn’t for anyone who isn’t interested in finding a companion to undertake total transformation with”.
There’s a hypocrisy-decrying element which is perhaps most profound in the first cut of the record. In ‘Bored In The USA’, the contradictions of Western society stand face to face. Reminiscent of the sarcasm of ‘60s spoof songs such as Melanie Safka’s ‘Psycho Therapy’ or Adam Green’s more recent mock-jingles, the song is written to get the audience’s direct and immediate attention. With a desperate frown on his face, Misty requests a refund for his culture’s empty promises in a voice that would make a Hell’s Angel cringe. Backed by delicately see-sawing piano keys and a romantic string section, the mood is set to sentimental melt-down.
The listeners’ emotional involvement with the music thus draws attention to the story, and amplifies the impact of the lyrics. Ironically, it is exactly this over-emotional sugar-coating that he is criticising. The following lines say it all: “My brain’s so awfully glad to be here for yet another mindless day, Now I’ve got all morning to obsessively accrue, A small nation of meaningful objects they’ve gotta represent me too”.
Although dealing with a similar grim outlook on love, life and society in a humorous way, the tracks on the record are rich in variety. ‘True Affection’ surprises with a more futuristic, robotic dance sound and higher pitched vocals as it addresses the bleakness of digital connectivity. And ‘Ideal Husband’ – a confession-laden folk song with a dystopian aura – unveils the rawness of reality with a fast-paced, metallic drumbeat that gives the song a dirtier touch.
The diversity of instruments, along with Misty’s infinitely layered soul-vocals and folky storytelling, make ‘I Love You, Honeybear’ a metamorphosing listen. Yet its conceptual approach renders it important art. Through presenting negative subject matter in a shell of over-the-top schmaltz, Misty manages to expose mislead morality to those who fall for it – which is all of us of course.
Given the reference to his real name, it’s easy to assume that he’s dealing with his own struggle with love and societal fabrications such as religion. The warm packaging of cold facts seems to warn listeners of the long climb to wisdom, from the pleasant climate of the lowlands to the icy tip of the mountain.
One gets the feeling that it’s better to accept the ills of life early than deal with greater disappointment later.
