A Folk Record That Sounds Like a House Full of Lantern Light

Estelle Honeywell’s The Beehive is a seven-song study in analog warmth, careful arrangements, and songwriting that keeps finding new corners to occupy

I hear The Beehive as a record that trusts texture as much as melody. Released in January 2023 as a seven-song, 29-minute album, it was tracked on a 1/4" 8-track Tascam 388 with help from a small ensemble that brings bass, drums, fiddle, piano, flute, tenor sax, and backing vocals into Honeywell’s orbit. That setup gives the album a lived-in, slightly frayed warmth that suits the material beautifully.

For me, the album’s appeal lies in how it expands a folk framework without ever tipping into clutter. Tracks like “Basement,” “Laundry Song,” “Guilty Pleasure,” and “Gambier Glow” feel intimate. The arrangements keep shifting in small, telling ways, and the tape-hiss softness makes every detail feel earned. Honeywell’s writing leans toward plainspoken emotional clarity, but the production refuses to leave the songs bare. Fiddle and flute brighten the edges, tenor sax adds an unexpected autumnal shade, and the whole thing moves with patience. It is a modestly scaled album, but I keep coming back to how complete it feels.

(•)> That's all, Folks! Check out Estelle Honeywell on the Pigeon Opinion Playlist