Algebra for Broken Hearts” represents a rebirth for The Honeydogs. It has the immediacy and lean rock vibes of the band’s earliest 90s recordings along with the back-to-the-roots spirit reuniting the four original members Adam Levy, Noah Levy, Trent Norton, and Tommy Borscheid. The expansive new album was recorded briskly in five days with longtime friend and collaborator ‘fifth Honeydog” John Fields (Miley Cyrus, The Jonas Brothers, Demi Lovato) in June of 2024.  It’s a synthesis of the scrappy early Honeydogs with the more sophisticated songwriting and stylistic explorations of more recent Honeydog offerings. It’s a fresh start with the best of old and new. 

Brothers Noah (drums) and Adam Levy (singer-songwriter/ guitar) started the band in 1994, and enlisted the sturdy and inventive playing of Trent Norton on bass and the razor wire -meets-chicken picking stylings of Tommy Borscheid on guitar.  The guitar-driven sound of the early band was shaped as much by classic country, soul and British rock as it was by their hometown Minnesota music scene heroes Prince, Dylan and The Replacements.  

The latest record opens with the Zeppelin riff bombast of “Attic Brain,” a pun on “addict brain” and is bookended with Tommy’s “Bend or Break,” a song which would have felt at home on The Beatles’ “White Album” or “Let it Be.” Featured tracks are the barn burner “Irish Goodbye,” the swampy “Righteous Came the Stranger” and the stellar plea for political grace wrapped-in-a-relationship song, “I Don’t Wanna Fight.” 

The title track, “Algebra for Broken Hearts,” is a surreal fever dream about the passage of time and the messy, unexpected paths upon which we find ourselves. That vibe and song title captured a moment for the band. There are no neat formulas or easy solutions in this strange, beautiful world.

Art Nouveau and Deco patterns

Asteroids and rings of Saturn

Do-Drop-In the DJ spins

I found the father but I lost the sin

Can you feel the tide come in?

Can you feel it pull your skin?

I’m sending all my best regards 

Algebra for broken hearts

This new album isn’t about launching a career or trying to sell a huge amount of records. “It’s about making music. It’s about friendship,” says Tommy. “It's out of genuine love for each other and the music.”  Noah muses, “and it feels as good as anything we’ve ever done.”