Honey Motel share the exhilarating new single ‘T.N.A.K.’ (pronounced Ten-Ack). Released ahead of the band’s anticipated upcoming EP Motel FM (Nov 28th), the single showcases the more alt-influenced side of the Liverpool quartet’s writing, perfectly capturing the driving energy of their live shows whilst retaining their stylistic melodic, emotive flair.
Produced by Alec Brits (Clean Cut Kid, Michael Aldag, St Catherine’s Child), the single bursts open with a wall of thick, distorted guitars and high-octane drums. As it drops into the verse, Freddie’s melodic, velvety vocals glide above the instrumentation, carrying a magnetic undercurrent of melancholy. The song ebbs and flows with elegance, shifting between searing blasts of distortion and delicately measured dynamic dips.
Approaching its finale, the track spirals into a frenzied breakdown before delivering one last earworm chorus and a climactic flourish of its head-bangable main riff.
Talking about the track, the band explain: “T.N.A.K. is loud, defiant, and darkly tongue-in-cheek. At its core, it wrestles with the weight of societal pressure to climb, to dream, and the resistance that often greets ambition. The lyric ‘Don’t dream while you’re sleeping’ lands like a warning — stay grounded, stay small, don’t get carried away. The track leans into the idea of being a loser, flipping it into something more confrontational, a reflection of the frustration and risk that comes with trying to break out. Inspired by bands like IDLES, its raw energy and title — taken from a phrase Sam heard Joe Talbot say in an interview — became the driving force behind the song.
Written around Lew’s chaotic drum pattern, ‘T.N.A.K.’ came together almost instinctively, with the band building the instrumental before the lyrics fell into place. In pre-production, odd time signatures and a deliberately mangled guitar solo added to the track’s intensity, giving it a jagged edge. Recorded live in the chapel at StudiOwz in Pembrokeshire with no click track, it captures the urgency of a band locked in together. Mixed by Alec Brits and mastered by Graeme Lynch, it stands as one of the rawest cuts from MOTEL FM.”
Honey Motel formed in the rehearsal rooms of Liverpool, rooted in the teenage friendship of guitarist Sam Meredith and bassist Jack Hughes, who laid the band’s early foundations before drummer Lew Fogg joined in the winter of 2023, locking in the rhythm section. With the groove in place, they brought in Freddie Griggs to lead the outfit in April 2024, debuting as a four-piece at Liverpool Sound City 2024 and diving headfirst into the live circuit.
Since then, Honey Motel have built a feverish hype. Following opening for The Lottery Winners on tour for their 2025 number-one album KOKO, the band have featured across tastemaker press including 1883 Magazine, Louder Than War, Clash, Notion, Ones To Watch, Wonderland, It’s Psychedelic Baby Magazine and Earmilk, gained placements on Apple Music’s New in Rock, and radio support from the likes of Radio X (John Kennedy), XS Manchester (Jim Salveson), and from BBC Introducing. Having played at festivals including Y Not Festival (mainstage), Stockton Calling Festival, the band are set to play The Great Escape before headlining EBGBS, the band continue to gain high profile slots across UK festivals ahead of more upcoming UK tour dates to support the release of the new EP.
All artwork by Josh Higgins
Upcoming Live Dates:
17th Sept – London | School Night
20th Sept – Mexborough | Merseyfest
Honey Motel – T.N.A.K
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