After touring behind their debut, Declare a New State (Blake Hazard and John Draggonetti), in the US and Europe, The Submarines were ready to make an album that felt good not only to record but to play in a live setting. “Our first album was hugely cathartic for us to make, dealing with a breakup and getting out the sorrow, but we’ve been ready to freak out and have a lot more fun this time around. We’re thankful not to have to make that record again, to be in a better place,” says Hazard. Honeysuckle Weeks also marks the duo’s first album made collaboratively; Declare a New State was written separately during a breakup and recorded upon their reunion.

Sonically, Honeysuckle Weeks is a glorious collage of The Submarines’ wide-ranging influences, from old-school dub (most evident in tracks like “1940” and “Fern Beard”) to intricately layered electronica (as in the psychedelic- classical “Submarine Symphonika” and “The Thorny Thicket”) to vintage pop (as on “Swimming Pool” and the Santaria-inspired “Xavia”). While some songs started with a traditional guitar-in-hand approach, many began with instrumental tracks composed by Dragonetti, which Hazard then completed with words and melody, drawing on each of the their musical strengths. Dragonetti--who masterminded the recording--says, “The glitch is enjoyable, but so are the Beatles, so I just try to follow what the song calls for.” The duo was also joined on a number of tracks by the phenomenal Section Quartet.