Rising London-based alt-folk act Morning Tourist has shared a new video for latest single Honey, taken from his debut album The Endless Eve, which drops on 21st August via Blaggers Records. Blending nostalgic ‘90s childhood animations with sharp cultural commentary on the state of the world today, the new video for Honey was made by Sam Brentnall and sees a cartoon version of Sean McKinney (aka Morning Tourist) take a leading role.
Morning Tourist (C24 Photography)
Speaking of the new video, McKinney explains: “The song kind of explores arrested development in the face of adult responsibility, so it seemed a fitting idea that we went with a Saturday morning cartoon-style animation with me as a child. We not-so-subtly had toys resemble contemporary cultural figures and symbols that proceed to freak out and anger my young avatar.”
Depicting the likes of Boris Johnson, Kim Kardashian and Joe Biden amongst a sea of nostalgic childhood toys, the video also takes subtle aim at social media and commercial giants like Amazon through its troublesome and twisted take on dystopia. Morning Tourist adds: “I think [the video] does a great job of portraying the chaotic and duplicitous nature of modern culture and politics, and the way that can drive people’s emotions. Sam did amazing work with the idea and I can’t wait for people to see it.”
A staple in Morning Tourist’s live set and a firm favourite for the band to play at shows, Honey is a laid-back alternative-folk track seasoned with sweet harmonies and swelling acoustic guitars, reminiscent of Death Cab For Cutie, ripe for the season. However, gaze through the track’s golden veneer and you’ll find a track that smarts with the sting of dejection and resignation that can consume even the best of us when the world gets too much.
Tapping into the idea that often sadness isn’t a particularly dramatic feeling, but rather a subconscious emotion that can simmer under the surface as the planet continues to turn on its axis, McKinney explains of the song: “Honey is a song about spinning one’s wheels and succumbing to resignation in the struggle. I wrote this in my late twenties, when feeling particularly low and not doing a good job of hiding it. It’s the difference between having a bad day once in a while and walking with that same feeling every day for what feels like a long time.”
Check out the video for Honey below:
Transferring these feelings into a song with a sunny-side up texture, Honey manages to hover neatly in the space between heavy-hearted melancholy and hopeful optimism. As Sean adds: “The song is having a conversation with the people who love you, want to help you and hope you’ll pull yourself together. The song’s other voices are pleading with you to catch up and do better. I think this sense of perspective offsets the subject’s cynicism, and ultimately brings about the promise of resolution.”
Written and performed by Sean McKinney, produced and mastered by Tom Davis at Shenley Studios and with artwork courtesy of Leonie Antwerpen, Honey follows Small Flame as the second single to be plucked from Morning Tourist’s forthcoming debut album The Endless Eve. Set for release this Summer, the 9-track release boasts Morning Tourist’s bright potential as a shining new songwriting talent and flickers with shades of everything from Elliott Smith to The Shins and Sparklehorse to Villagers.
Morning Tourist (C24 Photography)
With all songs composed and written by Sean McKinney (including acoustic and electric guitar, percussion, vocals and keys), The Endless Eve was recorded at Shenley Studios in Rushmoor. Produced and engineered by Tom Davis, the record features guest appearances from Jody Lahart (bass) and Sam Cahalin (synth), plus electric guitars by Harvey Fenny on closing track Perfect Sense.
The new album also follows Morning Tourist’s 2018 EP Quiet Lives. Having attracted extensive radio play and local support, Morning Tourist has appeared on festival stages across Europe, and played extensively on the London live circuit both as a solo act and accompanied by his band.
In the lead up to the album’s release, McKinney will take his Morning Tourist outfit on a number of live fixtures. Fresh off the back of performances at The Great Escape and How The Light Gets In Festival, he will also play a couple of shows at Glastonbury Festival next week before going on to Cheltenham’s Frog Fest, Bedford Esquires Ceremony Festival and more. Full upcoming dates below:
JUNE
23rd – Bread & Roses, Glastonbury Festival, Pilton
25th – The Hive, Glastonbury Festival, Pilton
JULY
5th July, The Endless Eve LP Release Show, The Victoria, Dalston, London
AUGUST
10th-13th – Lakefest, Herefordshire
27th – New Music Fest, Reigate
SEPTEMBER
24th – Frog Fest, Cheltenham
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