Many great bands hail from the Windy City, and most of the lesser-known bands that come from the area tend to be a cut above bands from other large cities. For this reason alone, Honeypot should be great. The Grackles claim to tread the same musical territory as Mission of Burma and the Pixies, and the influences are certainly there. Still, every band worth its salt reimagines its influences in different ways, and the songs on Honeypot are no exception. John Huston, Brian Aleman and Nicole Roach stick to their heroes' strengths, but their off-key vocals and occasional screeches make them sound young and inexperienced.

Lyrically, the band has its moments. On "Glue", frontman Huston sings, "One face in public and one in the drain / Windfall ego but deficit brain / We’re sliding forward slightly faster / Below the surface there's more of the same." Once you hear it, it'll stick in your head for a while.

Overall, The Grackles aren't quite as strong as some of the Chicago area's other heralded but lesser-known bands (Caviar, Ness, Kill Hannah), but their sturdy strain of traditional indie rock is sure to get them noticed sooner or later.