Mad Honey is a dream pop/glitter rock band from Oklahoma City, and they’re makin’ waves in the music scene.
I chatted with the Mad Honey gang at Whole Foods about their influences, their vibe, and what they’re excited for in the future. To set the scene, picture retro eyeglasses, a ‘90s windbreaker, lactose-free coffee and sea salt and tangerine-flavored kombucha.
Tiff Sutcliffe is the vocalist and primary songwriter of the band and a fan of vegan cookies.
Branden is the happiest bassist you’ll ever meet.
Austin Valdez is the drummer and wing expert of the band (he prefers Chick n Beer for a good Asian spice, Wingstop for lemon pepper.)
Keegan Ball plays guitar. He’s a S, and he lives in the middle of nowhere.
Glitter rock and dream pop
Mad Honey makes music for people who want to feel things. They’ve described themselves as everything from edgy dream pop to alternative, indie, rock n roll, moody rock, and glitter rock.
“I want people, when they listen to us play, to feel like they can cry, they can dance, and just let it all out and feel open to express themselves however it may be….while also floating through space.” Austin said.
Their music comes together through a culmination of their influences, everything from 1975 to One Direction. Branden said one of his favorite things about the band is that they all contribute to the songwriting process, and he feels like the whole vibe complement’s Tiff’s voice and lyricism.
“We all kind of vibe with each other,” Branden said. “We all have something to offer.”
Tiff said, when she writes songs, it’s important to her to feel like it’s everyone’s song, and she’s often surprised by what her bandmates bring to the sound.
“That’s what makes the band so special, I think, to all of us,” she said. “We all want everyone to weigh in equally.”
What else makes them unique? Austin said it’s their sense of humor. But it’s also the bond they’ve shared being in this band together.
“We’ve definitely bonded a lot, and we can actually understand each other,” Branden said. “As cheesy as it sounds, the music really brought us together.”
Blue & You – Mad Honey’s new single
Mad Honey’s newest single “Blue & You” was released Feb. 22, and they’re already receiving positive feedback.
“This ‘Blue & You’ song is just hopeful,” Branden said. “It’s about always having someone there for you when it gets really rough. I think that song is a really good message for that. It’s probably the most vulnerable song Tiffany has ever written, and I love it. We all love it.”
The band works closely with Wyatt Clem, member of local band The Ivy. They’ve worked with him to produce all three of their singles, and all of them were recorded at his house. Branden said he has a good sense of creative direction, and he’s a wiz of a producer.
“Wyatt is the guy that brings our songs to life, for sure,” Branden said.
The Mad Honey bond
Tiff moved to OKC from Nashville in 2015 and became friends with Branden. After a couple of years of saying “one day we’ll make music together,” they finally got with some friends in 2017, formed a band, went through a different names and a different lineup changes, and settled on Mad Honey.
In 2018, Austin was working with Tiff at Stella Nova. After hearing the demos, he knew he wanted to be involved. Shortly after Austin came on board, Branden invited Keegan.
Tiff said it was fate that brought them together. Branden said it was destiny.
Between a recent feature in Starcatcher Magazine, performance at Tower Theatre, and a spot on Oklahoma Rock Show’s top 25 songs of the year, things are starting to feel real for Mad Honey, and it’s lighting a creative fire.
“Right now we all have this shared sense of urgency or desperation to create a thing, and it feels so heavy,” Tiff said, after sharing a story about the first time they heard themselves on the radio.
“It’s almost like this is all we have, like this is all we care about,” Keegan said.
Gaining momentum
Mad Honey is itching to put out a full album, and they’re excited about Norman Music Festival and other upcoming shows.
The band said they’ve been really excited to have support from the local scene throughout the past year.
“There’s so much good music coming from Oklahoma. It blows my mind, and I think some people would overlook it, but there’s so many good bands here popping’ up left and right, and the music scene is growing for sure, and we’re excited to be a part of it. We’ve made so many good friends being part of it. It’s a dream come true, honestly, We’ve all wanted to do music, and it’s cool that we can do that in Oklahoma.” – Branden