On May 31st 2024 Ben Platt released his beautiful album Honeymind. With his newest 13-track record, the talented musician, actor and vocalist pulls you into a world full of love and comfort and gives you a moment of peace whenever you need it.
The red thread throughout the album is one topic that comes back more than anything else: being deeply in love with your significant other. Every song on the record has this beautiful musical-like storytelling that will make you feel every emotion through the lyrics combined with the most comforting melodies.
There are like a hundred little love confessions that have been poured into this record. Two examples of this are ‘Before I Knew You’, about being so deeply in love from the very first moment (“little whispers in a daydream, little voice that always saved me“) or ‘Cherry On Top’, speaking about your significant other knowing you so well that it just feels like the “Cherry On Top“ of a great life (“the way that you know me and the way that you hold me; you give me all the room to grow but never letting go of me“).
‘Treehouse’ explores all the different layers of love, from the potential risks of letting someone in (“but isn’t the danger the reason we do it, we know we could fall but we’re holding on to it“), to finally letting yourself fall for the person and just being with them (“all of the climbing is past you and you can breathe now“).
Contrasting to this, the title track ‘Honeymind’ talks about how your significant other might not be able to take all your anxieties and worries away – but by being there for you they can make everything seem a little less scary and overwhelming (“oh honeymind you slow the time – my days and dreams all bleed together“; “all the what-if’s soften and drip“).
‘Home Of The Terrified’ is yet another masterpiece on the album and should be a track everyone knows about. In this song, Platt sings about having a little boy and how that would play out for them. It’s a beautiful love song for his future kid, telling him just how loved he’ll be (“I couldn’t stop him getting sad or bundle him in bubble wrap“; “I could take all his friends to see a film“).
Meanwhile ‘Need You Like This’ and ‘Boy Who Hung The Moon’ are surely the most wholesome songs on the album, both being a clear message to his fiance. Singing “And now I could swear you’re the air in my lungs – if you ever left darling I’d fall apart – cause the sound in my chest is the beat of your heart“ in the first song and telling his significant other how “they say no ones perfect and I know that’s true but you make it feel like a lie“ in the other, these songs are some of the most honest confessions of love and a very heartfelt way of telling someone you love them.
Ending the album with the song ‘Monsters’, the musician talks about how “someday there’ll be monsters – someday there’ll be problems – right now count your blessing and your lucky stars – be right where you are cause you got all this time to breathe“, which is a beautiful message to his younger self. The song tells the listener to try and be present in the moment and not rush yourself, which is a message that a lot of listeners probably need to hear, especially in today’s world.
All in all, the whole Honeymind album is one big love story, giving you a moment to let yourself be pulled into this world full of love. Ben Platt is an immensely talented person and if you haven’t already, you should not only check out this new album, but also the rest of his discography.
Written by: Lara Thissen
Edited by: Marieke Weeda
