Despite the fact that all the band members possess over twenty years of experience in the American music scene, we are only now hearing about a new group hailing from Minneapolis, Minnesota. ‘The Long Honeymoon’ was founded in 2022 by singer-guitarist Lee Zukor and singer-guitarist Adam Marshall—both of whom were avid fans of the British pop and rock groups ‘The Beautiful South’ and ‘Teenage Fanclub,’ as well as the sound of solo artists Elvis Costello and Stevie Wonder.
They formed this new band by recruiting Adam’s wife, Kristin Marshall, as a vocalist; bassist Volney Hendrix; keyboardist Eric Kreidler; lead guitarist Mike Senkovich; and drummer Dennis Olson. With this seven-piece lineup, they headed into two Minneapolis studios—‘It’s A Secret’ and ‘Electric Ladybug’—to record their debut album, *The World Is Waiting*. The record features eleven tracks, all of which were composed by Lee Zukor and Adam Marshall.
As the sound of their musical influences would suggest, we are treated primarily to catchy, easy-on-the-ear pop melodies accompanied by equally harmonious vocal arrangements. You can hear exactly what that sounds like in the two songs from the album featured in the accompanying videos, presented here as live performances: first up is the rock track “To The Stars,” followed by the swinging number “Looking Back At Me.”
Inventive guitar riffs follow one another in rapid succession throughout the eleven songs on *The World Is Waiting*, starting with the melodic opening track, “My First Mistake.” This is followed by poppy numbers such as “We’re An Idea”; “Girl With A Broken Heart”—driven by an accordion-like keyboard melody; and the catchy title track, “The World Is Waiting,” which is performed in a ballad style. Upbeat songs remain a prominent feature on this record, with tracks such as “Cool Kid At The Party”—featuring a Tex-Mex organ motif in the style of Joe ‘King’ Carrasco—and the dynamic tracks “A Place In Time” and “Tenterhooks.” We are then gradually ushered toward the exit by the songs “Float Away” and the somewhat misleadingly titled “We Can Stay”—for this album wraps up after just 39 minutes—though not without leaving us with a very positive impression. As far as we’re concerned, this musical marriage known as ‘The Long Honeymoon’ certainly deserves a sequel, and soon.