Oklahoma City continues to rise with a new wave of independent bands, and Honor Choir are at the forefront. Not only are they doing something different for OKC, they’re doing something different within today’s DIY music. While Blink-182 can be a common influence, Honor Choir push their anthemic pop-punk foundation further, pulling from early-2000s emo and post-hardcore touchstones like Hey Mercedes, New End Original and Rival Schools, alongside ’80s new-wave influences such as New Order and When in Rome.
That range can be heard clearly on “Satellite Receiver” which moves from an abrasive guitar riff into acoustic guitar and piano, and the five-minute closer “Envelope” feels like it could sit comfortably on New Order’s Republic. Honor Choir has mastered combining their range of influences into something incredibly cohesive, and manages to fit a chorus into each song that gets stuck in your head.