Gruff Rhys - Honey All Over

Gruff Rhys has always been teetering on just the right side of the very thin line separating twee, quirky pop and puerile, irritating drivel.

Unfortunately, ʻHoney All Overʼ sees him stumbling headlong over that divide. Itʼs a surprisingly pedestrian track by Gruffʼs standards, with dull, plodding piano taking the lead and an unimaginative and repetitive refrain of “Sheʼs honey all over (itʼs over) / Sheʼs honey all over (itʼs all over honey).” Despite the occasional change in rhythm, thereʼs very little progression throughout the track, making it feel like a very long three minutes and nineteen seconds indeed.

Gruff Rhysʼ whole sweet, simplistic pop schtick was fine when the songs were strong enough to back it up but, with ʻHoney All Overʼ, that saccharine ʻquirkinessʼ is starting to get slightly, well, boring. Itʼs not particularly offensive, and itʼs definitely not the worst song youʼll hear this month, itʼs just a bit… meh?