The Cruel Sea The Honeymoon Is Over

The early ’90s was the perfect time for The Cruel Sea to make their play for the big leagues. With the alternative revolution in full swing, bands that made music that defied categorization, or at the very least refused to adhere to commercial norms, were lauded by fans, critics, and radio stations alike. All of which boded well for The Cruel Sea, an outfit that brought the unlikely sonic cocktail of surf music, dub, spaghetti western, reggae, zydeco, and gritty, swampy acoustic blues to the mainstream. Having formed in 1987 as an instrumental band, by the time they released this third album in 1993 vocalist Tex Perkins had joined full time (he had sung on the group’s first two LPs while simultaneously fronting Beasts of Bourbon, who were now on hiatus). That they were finally a complete unit brought a focus and a confidence to The Honeymoon Is Over, Perkins’ foreboding, attitude-filled baritone supercharging the title track (“I’m gonna get this tattoo changed to another girl’s name,” he howls), while the warm reggae of “X-N-Pop” and island flair of “The Right Time” harked back to the band’s instrumental roots.