HONEYMOON SUITE – Wake Me up When the Sun Goes Down

RELEASE YEAR: 2025
BAND URL: https://honeymoonsuiteband.com/

These immensely talented Canadian rockers impressed me last year by means of their melodically rich and gorgeously crafted album titled Alive, so my hopes were high for this brand-new opus of theirs. Although lacking a bit of the vigor, energy, and immediacy that made its predecessor so memorable, “Wake Me up When the Sun Goes Down” is a meaty and enjoyable offering that displays more depth and interesting nuances than most other AOR melodic rock outputs, and there is an underlying sense of determination and focus throughout that comes from being a veteran act with plenty of experience under their belts. Lack of consistency is an issue and some tracks, particularly “I Fly” and “Way Too Fast,” add little to the proceedings and appear somewhat uneventful. On the other hand, you have pieces such as “Way of the World,” “Crazy Life,” and “Live On” whose hooks and many fine qualities instantly insinuate themselves into the mind. A significant chunk of the record generates a sense of excitement, and there is much to treasure throughout, but it is uneven compared to Alive and feels less essential.