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Honey, I'm Homely!
Studio album by Dance Hall Crashers
Released	September 9, 1997
Recorded	1997 Fantasy Studios (Berkeley, California) NRG Studios (North Hollywood, California)
Genre	Ska punk, pop punk
Length	44:10
Label	MCA
Producer	Dance Hall Crashers, Stoker
Dance Hall Crashers chronology
Lockjaw (1995) Honey, I'm Homely! (1997) Purr (1999)

Honey, I'm Homely! is the third studio album by the American ska punk band Dance Hall Crashers. Produced by the band and Stoker, the album was released on September 9, 1997, by MCA Records.

Background

Dance Hall Crashers signed to MCA's new 510 subsidiary in 1995 and released Lockjaw, highlighting the band's increasing direction into a punchier, pop punk style. Prior to recording Honey, I'm Homely!, DHC toured with bands such as Blink-182, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, and a host of Epitaph punk bands.

Honey, I'm Homely! marked the return of brass instruments to DHC for the first time since their debut album of the same name released in 1990 (subsequent rereleases in 1993 and 1996) after a notable absence in Lockjaw. Hepcat members Kincaid Smith and Efren Santana played the trumpet and saxophone respectively on select songs.

The album art conveys 1950s American culture through the cover's clothing and hairstyles present, which Elyse Rogers characterized (the time period) as "such a rad time for music." The woman's hair is of a similar style to model Paula Turnbull who is present on Rush's Permanent Waves album cover. Rogers described DHC's three albums at the time–Dance Hall Crashers, Lockjaw, and Honey, I'm Homely!–as "a triangle" concerning music styles, with the first being third-wave ska and the second pop-punk. "This album, we said, 'let's try to not play everything at a punk pace'...right now we're probably having more fun than we've ever had," Rogers elaborated.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
NME	7/10

Dave Younk, music critic of the St. Cloud Times, praised Honey, I'm Homely!, calling the album "...intoxicating and marvelously entertaining." Younk called the album's music "a blend of ska and 1960s girl-group harmonies." The Tampa Tribune's Kevin Walker commended the album, especially highlighting the 2:55 mark of the opening song, "Lost Again," when the vocal duo repeatedly sing "do you?" until the song's conclusion. Walker described Rogers’ and Deniké’s singing as "dominant," comparing them to Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson of the B-52s. He further described the album as "lyrically funny" and "smart, danceable fun." Chuck Campbell of The Knoxville News-Sentinel gave the album a mostly positive review, and, like Kevin Walker, also compared the quintet to the B-52s: "...Honey, I'm Homely is a good-time blast worth more than a few listens." Campbell further expressed "...the lyrics are good-natured if impetuous," and "...the pace is planned like a roller-coaster, with hyper-accelerated thrills spread out among more traditional high-speed fare."

The fifteen-track album was panned by John Prendergast of The Rocket (Seattle, WA), who accused the band of "...(sounding like) No Doubt's rich cousins who got together to make a record out of boredom." He further criticized Rogers and Deniké for singing in repetition: "...hearing them in harmony in the same fifths and thirds over and over makes you want to choke." Prendergast ended his review by referring to the band and its album as "unoriginal."

Track listing

All tracks are written by Dance Hall Crashers (Elyse Rogers, Karina Deniké, Jason Hammon, Mikey Weiss and Gavin Hammon)

Personnel

Information adapted from liner notes.

Charts

Weekly charts

See also

• It Means Everything – album by ska punk band Save Ferris, released on the same day

References

1. Thompson, Dave (2000). Third Ear: Alternative Rock. San Francisco: Miller Freeman Books, 800 pp. First edition, 2000.
2. ^ Sullivan, James (September 7, 1997). "Dance Hall Crashers Change Course". The San Francisco Examiner. p. 425. Retrieved January 3, 2025 – via newspapers.com.
3. Anderson, Rick. "Review: Honey, I'm Homely!". AllMusic. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
4. "Review: Honey, I'm Homely!". NME. July 14, 1998. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
5. Younk, Dave (October 16, 1997). "Dance Hall Crashers Have a Smash with 'Honey, I'm Homely' Recording". St. Cloud Times. p. 31. Retrieved October 11, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
6. Walker, Kevin (October 31, 1997). "Dance Hall Crashers, Honey, I'm Homely". The Tampa Tribune. p. 87. Retrieved October 11, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
7. Campbell, Chuck (October 31, 1997). "(Tuned In!)Honey, I'm Homely! - Dance Hall Crashers (MCA)". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. p. 75. Retrieved October 11, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
8. Prendergast, John (October 8, 1997). "Dance Hall Crashers - Honey, I'm Homely!". The Rocket. p. 24. Retrieved October 11, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
9. Honey, I'm Homely! (liner notes). Dance Hall Crashers. US: MCA. 1997. MCAD-11676.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
10. "Dance Hall Crashers – Honey, I'm Homely!". discogs.com.
11. "Honey, I'm Homely! Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved January 30, 2014.

External links

• Official website
• Honey, I'm Homely! (album cover prototype) crashers.com (Wayback Machine)

• MCA Records albums
• 1997 albums
• Dance Hall Crashers albums