HONEY I’M HOME’S “ALIVE” IS A SCREAM YOU CAN FEEL
Dutch newcomers Honey I’m Home make a thrilling, genre-blurring dive into pain, power, and persistence with their new single “Alive.” Fusing 90s alternative rock with elements of shoegaze, lo-fi indie, and emo, the five-piece has crafted a sound that feels like it’s suspended in midair. Heavy with feeling, but weightless in execution. It’s a head-in-the-clouds trip that aches in the best way possible.
From the first few bars, “Alive” feels like you’re entering a dream. The production, co-handled by the band and mixed by Sonny Diperri, gradually builds from lo-fi introspection to full-blown sonic euphoria. The band–Thom Schotanus, Sofie Ooteman, Jasper Meurs, Hugo de Groot, and Evelien Keesmaat–mirrors the emotional volatility presented in the song with unmatched instrumentation. “Alive” starts with lo-fi quietude and explodes into shoegaze glory with distortion, delay, and layered guitar tones. These shifts are perfectly used as storytelling devices, reflecting the chaos and instability of someone trying to hold themselves together.
But, honestly, it’s the lyrics that truly deliver that punch to the gut. Opening with the haunting line, “this is not a go for help, it’s a scream louder than the ones before,” the song immediately places you in the center of a desperate emotional storm. The repeated refrain, “I wanna feel alive again,” doesn’t sound like a request, but rather, a need; something primal and undeniable. It’s not a catchy hook, nor a lyrical ornament. It’s a desperate, aching plea. It’s a cry that comes not from the throat, but somewhere deeper. A place where language starts to fail and all that’s left is raw need. With each repetition, the line becomes heavier, more urgent, as if they’re trying to claw their way out of numbness, exhaustion, or something worse. They’re begging for sensation, for connection, for proof that something inside them is still capable of feeling.
Frontwoman Sofie Ooteman doesn’t sugarcoat the source of that pain either. “‘Alive’ is a song about living with chronic pain and being let down by the medical system,” she shares. The feeling of screaming for help but only being pushed down deeper into the black hole of eternal suffering.” That rawness is reflected not just in the words, but in how they’re delivered, wavering between breathy vulnerability and full-bodied, almost desperate cries. And in true DIY spirit, she adds, “Have a f0okin listen and figure it out for yourself, fork 0ff and leave me alone!!11!!!1!!1.” It’s chaotic, cathartic, and entirely on brand.
The song makes clear that this isn’t about melodrama. It’s about survival. The distinction is subtle, but powerful–this isn't a theatrical lament; it’s the kind of truth someone only speaks when there’s no one left to impress, and no energy left to lie. It’s a prayer being screamed into the void: “I wanna feel alive again.” And when the lyrics say, “This is not a call for help, it's a scream,” that scream is more than a metaphor; instead, it’s a lived experience. The repetition of “I wanna feel alive again” becomes a mantra, but one that cracks more and more with each pass, like a voice breaking under its own weight. And then, almost cruelly, even that starts to fade, “my throat is closing, I can’t seem to find the words.” The body is failing, the words are vanishing, but the longing remains.
With shows lined up at Reeperbahn and Left of the Dial, followed by a full European tour supporting Hotline TNT, Honey I’m Home are about to bring their sound to a whole new wave of listeners–and “Alive” is the perfect way to kick things off. It’s not just a comeback or a cool new single; it’s them laying everything on the table. This track shows exactly who they are and exactly why you should be paying attention.
