Honas’s new single, “Cash Machine” first appears as a pop-rock song, with its masterful mixing of guitar and drum patterns to create a beautifully stitched together atmospheric sound.
However, there’s a sort of creativity and individuality to this song that puts it in an undefinable space – the mark of a truly innovative artist. There are two aspects of this song that stand out to me: the lyrics and the bridge. The first verse automatically gives the listener a unique way of viewing this idea of running out of time – a concept many artists have tried to tackle – with Honas singing, “Too much of time has been/Living recurring dreams/How many hours now/Standing in the glow of green/Of a cash machine/Willing something out.” I love this idea of time as a sort of currency, one we can’t will more of. I also find most artists rely on rhyming to create a sort of desirable pattern for the listener, but Honas knows the listener will pay attention regardless. Not only do the lyrics display a special musical sophistication, the bridge with introduction of a droning synth
“Cash Machine” is the result of a feeling of being lost and having fun in the process, commenting, “I spent 4 years doing a Commercial Modern Music degree. Cash Machine was written in the year after I had graduated. I saw old friends come out with their degrees in Law, Engineering, Physiotherapy, etc. They appeared to know what they were doing. The next steps were quite clear to them. But what do you do with a music degree? Like so many of my fellow music graduate friends, I found myself working jobs I hated just to (barely) afford to live in Dublin. I went through long spells of not finding time or energy to put into music. I realized how ridiculous and hilarious a situation we had found ourselves in, and wrote Cash Machine with an air of ‘Oh so this is how it is? Right then. Not what I expected.’ It was an attempt to poke a little bit of fun, to distract from that sense of doom that can creep in.”
With only two singles under his felt, Honas has managed to make a successful start for himself. He released his first single, “Wicker Blanket,” and landed on Spotify’s Fresh Finds playlist. Because of its exposure due to the playlist, Honas has over 120,000 monthly Spotify listeners. “Cash Machine” is his third single.
Written by Tatum Jenkins