Liverpool quartet Honey Motel release their anticipated new EP Motel FM on February 20th, unveiling a six-track collection that captures a band locking into their identity with clarity and conviction. Marking their debut release as a four-piece, the EP radiates growth and cohesion while preserving the raw, instinctive energy that has defined their rise so far.
Blending indie, alt-rock and alt-pop through a nuanced yet gritty guitar-led sound, Motel FM mirrors the band’s live intensity while allowing space for texture and emotional weight. Produced by Alec Brits — known for his work with Clean Cut Kid, Michael Aldag and St Catherine’s Child — the record is bursting with character. From the silky vocals and choppy indie tones of ‘If You Didn’t Exist’ to the driving intensity and fuzz-soaked punch of ‘T.N.A.K.’, the EP moves fluidly between high-octane urgency and more expansive, emotive soundscapes.
Jazz-influenced chord progressions ripple through ‘Milk’ and the new lead single ‘Aphrodite’, adding a richness beneath the surface of the band’s anthemic leanings. Moments of buoyant, breezy euphoria sit comfortably alongside darker lyrical threads, showcasing a group whose sound feels both cohesive and refreshingly varied. There’s a dynamic elasticity to the record, as capable of muscular alt-rock swells as it is of melodic drift and introspective calm.
Speaking about the EP, the band explain:
“This is our debut EP as a quartet – six tracks stitched together from chaos, boredom, love, and quiet dread. It’s for the losers, the weirdos, the misfits, the ones who feel they don’t belong but keep tuning in anyway, the ones that mirror ourselves. These songs pull from the anchors that keep us steady, the slow bleed of bottling everything up, the absurdity of a world where the façade is cracking, and the strange comfort of drifting through the noise with someone who makes it all feel okay. By the time the signal spirals into a cosmic fever dream, we’re not sure if it’s the end of the world or just the end of the broadcast, and maybe that’s the point. This is our invitation to join the broadcast, to dive headfirst into the swamp of loserdom, and to see where the signal takes you.”
Leading the release is ‘Aphrodite’, a psychedelic indie sweller that captures Honey Motel at their most ambitious. Described by the band as a “cosmic fever dream”, the track is a genre-bending monologue on self-imprisonment, existential absurdity and humanity’s fixation on meaning. Written from isolation, its lyrics drift from claustrophobic domestic scenes to galactic radiation fields where timelines bend and gods are made, not born. Fatalistic yet threaded with dark humour and surreal awe, the song loops extinction and rebirth into the same cyclical story.
Destined as the EP’s closing track, ‘Aphrodite’ was recorded without restraint. Instrumentals were laid down in Wales before sessions intensified back at The Cabin in Liverpool, where chorus vocals were quadruple-tracked, harmonies pushed into experimental territory and unexpected textures — including accordions — found their way into the mix. Engineered by Owain Fleetwood Jenkins and produced by Alec Brits, the track’s live chapel recording accelerates with freight-train force, delivering a wild, unfiltered finale that perfectly encapsulates the spirit of Motel FM.
Honey Motel formed in Liverpool rehearsal rooms, rooted in the teenage friendship of guitarist Sam Meredith and bassist Jack Hughes. Drummer Lew Fogg joined in winter 2023, solidifying the rhythm section, before Freddie Griggs stepped in to front the band in April 2024. The quartet made their debut at Liverpool Sound City in 2024 and quickly immersed themselves in the live circuit.
Momentum has continued to build. The band opened for The Lottery Winners on tour following their UK number-one album KOKO, secured placements on Apple Music’s New in Rock, and received radio support from Radio X and BBC Introducing. Festival appearances at Y Not Festival and Stockton Calling have further cemented their growing reputation, with more UK dates lined up around the EP’s release.
With Motel FM, Honey Motel sharpen their signal rather than dilute it — a debut as a quartet that feels fearless, expansive and unapologetically their own.
