"Honas has the makings of becoming a generational talent. We are extremely excited to hear what is next." - EARMILK
"Wicker Blanket really jumped out to me because of the tasty sonic palette. The interesting production really takes you away, it’s both modern and fresh but it also feels sentimental and relaxing." - Gemma Bradley, BBC
"Tinged with atmospheric electronic sounds [...] Crisp production and a clever use of autotune rival the better part of The 1975's discography" - Hot Press Magazine
"Honas brings together pointed yet light-hearted lyricism with bubbly, energetic pop in such endearing fashion, it’s difficult to not feel uplifted while listening." - GIG GOER
"Delicate vocal delivery that soars effortlessly over the chilled-out production. Infectious melodies beautifully wrap the smooth and dreamy vocals and create such an intimate and laid-back atmosphere." - Caesar Live N Loud
Having lived and traveled in all corners of the world at a young age, Sligo-born songwriter Hugh O'Neill was exposed to more culture and music in his early years than most. After years of dabbling in different styles and genres, O'Neill began to really find his feet sonically in 2019. Inspired by the work of Bon Iver and The 1975, Honas was born with the aim of bringing simple, honest songwriting to the fore, while marrying lush electronica with raw, acoustic elements.
A locked-down May 2020 saw the appearance of Honas' first ever release, Wicker Blanket. With no real budget for PR, or any gigs to help promote the release, expectations were low. But things got off to an encouraging start, with an abundance of features/reviews from international music blogs, national radio play and landing on a Spotify editorial playlist.
A busy 2020 saw 4 releases from Honas. He has enjoyed radio coverage on BBC Northern Ireland and regional stations worldwide. He has amassed nearly 5 Million total streams on Spotify, with his singles being featured on some of the biggest editorial playlists such as Chilled Lounge, Chilled Pop Hits and Fresh Finds: Pop.
"‘Redesign’ is a pop song with all the trimmings, lush arrangements to go with all the heartrending narrative of a boy who is determined to fix matters with the object of his desires. But, and this is a very important consideration, not until it feels like the right time to do so. Such a temperate approach, out of step with the quick fix narrative we’re all used to, or deploy ourselves in real life.
The production on ‘Redesign’ is such that we can almost touch the heartache, the depth of love comes via a near claustrophobic intensity at times and the resultant yearning to fix something that has the potential to be beautiful. You can hear the author implore rather than beg, finding the much needed reason to get this derailed coupling back on track." - mp3hugger
In December 2020, Honas joined a line up of some of Ireland's national music treasures for a week-long collaborative winter retreat, Hibernacle. Many songs were written, friendships were made, and the chance to perform at the livestreamed gigs was a much needed release.
PRESS/BOOKINGS
honas.mail@gmail.com