Honeysuckle Weeks

iTunes Review

The Submarines are the husband and wife duo Blake Hazard and John Dragonetti. Blake, who sings most of the lead vocals, has a charming, slightly breathy voice that perfectly suits these 10 catchy, well-crafted pop songs, which ride along waves of keyboards, guitars, and an interesting and vast selection of synthesized sounds. This is their second album and the first since they got married and it finds them still very much in the honeymoon phase. Love and domestic tranquility are the dominant lyrical theme here with a lot of clever wordplay and intriguing metaphors about skies opening up, oppressive vines and thorns being cut back, defensive walls joyfully being knocked down, and other scenes of love overcoming emotional obstacles. Sure, this is hardly a new topic and the recording is clearly self-referential, but it’s so melodic, sweet, and delightfully infectious that it’s easy to celebrate their bliss right along with them.