When a debut track sounds classic and ahead of its time, you know something special is occurring. Offering a head-turning singularity of impact, the project Loaded Honey makes a roaring entrance with “Don’t Speak,” a debut single that combines a poised and multi-talented expression of an organic group that formed via a fortuitous connection under the studio lights.
The pair, whose members, J Lloyd and Lydia Kitto, have connections to the acclaimed collective from Jungle, turn that chemistry into something genuinely magnetic here. “Don’t Speak” is a piece of electrifying dance-pop that knows precisely what it’s doing. From its first moments, the crunchy breakbeats and breastfeeding strings establish the mood, giving a knowing wink to the lush sophistication of the early ’70s Philadelphia soul. But this isn’t a retro revival, for nostalgia’s sake. This track glimmers with modern propulsion, a slickness that leaves one foot planted in the past while tracing a whirling path into the future.
Lydia Kitto’s vocals glide with electric power, silky, manageable, and charismatic. A pop sweetness to her delivery lifts the whole production, suspending it between an underground club anthem and a glossy radio hit. You can feel that this music wants to move bodies best, soundtrack late-night highs and frenzied sweats on euphoric dance floors. There’s an emotional subtext, too, that keeps the song grounded. “Don’t Speak” is a tension inside the song’s DNA, a push-pull between letting go and holding on. It’s in the title, of course, but also in every beat, every string swell, and every breath of Kitto’s performance.
In a time when so many debut singles follow trends, Loaded Honey is finding their cadence. “Don’t Speak” is a bracing debut, a tribute to the pioneers of soul, funk, and pop who have come before it, and a welcome new voice to the genre. If this is only the beginning, we are strapped in and braced for the ride.
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