More electric than elevator, the song is a waltz in the hotel lobby of nostalgia and bittersweet heartbreak.
Photo: Jonny Kaye. Edit: Eleni- Maria Papachristodoulou
Lonnie Gunn is something of an enigma. Pioneering what the artist herself terms as “lesbian fembot yacht rock”, she has both the sensuality of a siren with the sardonicism and wit of a sphinx. Gunn is a USA born artist living currently in London; this ‘fish out of water’ is a perfect contrast that both distinguishes and connects well to her individuality as a performer and a songwriter. Gunn’s work encompasses a myriad of moods and borrows from a variety of genres, which makes her work all the more compelling to explore. Taking inspiration from other current era defining acts such as Cherry Glazerr, Snail Mail, Weyes Blood and Gretel Hänlyn, Gunn is quickly making waves in the UK and is sure to be a household name. This, along with the plethora of legendary artists across time who have inspired her.
‘Honeymoon Suite’ takes the classic swoon of a 50s, dreamboat crooner song and contrasts it with gorgeous indie pop tones that recalls the devastatingly beautiful Jerkcurb’s ‘Night on Earth’. ‘Honeymoon Suite’ evokes a very similar groove, that which is made for the beautiful but shy barfly, the prom queen seductress and the mysterious big city mermaids who rise out of the ocean when the sun sets. It’s here, in the lagoons and the last vestiges of a heartbroken memory, the cityscape moonlit alleyways that Lonnie Gunn’s music makes the most sense and burns the brightest. It’s for kicking your stilettos off and drinking a well deserved glass of wine after a night out. Listening to it, you can’t help but feel like you’re living in pure cinema. It’s for the vulnerable, the soul-baring and offers consolation to the deluge of lonely hearts. It is specially made for the unburdening of suppressed feelings that you can’t really allow yourself to admit. If you are a hopeless romantic, your cup runneth over. Tragic yet soothing, you may allow yourself to sink into the depths of despair, in an ocean where the line between lovers and enemies are devilishly blurred.
All of which is to say, Gunn’s music is murderously moving, and made for messy, filthy-gorgeous main character moments. You would be mad to miss Lonnie Gunn live. Gunn’s oeuvre is a bayou of bittersweet moments that offers a truly divine, otherworldly and enchanting experience that you won’t soon forget.
Words by Alexandra Dominica
Marezine 