Kevin Bronson on February 13th, 2020

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Considering what singer-songwriter Ariel Beesley has done the past couple of years, the newest New Wave revival needs look no further for an It Girl.

The Valley native, who got her start as a teenager writing songs on a ukulele, segued to a modeling career and is now bringing her moxie to musical stages, released an EP in 2018 and tripped out in “Palm Springs” last year. This week brings the release of another nugget, “Honey (Lick It Up),” a song Beesley says draws inspiration from the vocals of Dale Bozzio from Missing Persons and the movie “Heathers.”

Co-written with Dan C. Wright and produced by Justin Warfield of She Wants Revenge, “Honey” brings a spoonful of attitude with a big, chugging chorus that fairly bursts with sweetness. With Beesley, it’s impossible not to think of Blondie as an obvious reference point, but in total her songs recall everything late-’70s/’80s, especially where a stylish, sassy heroine is involved.

She breaks down the song: “The verses depict sleepwalking through life when you’ve had a bad week and everything seems gray, when suddenly something (or someone) comes along make all of that disappear and reminds you of what it’s like to feel good again,” Beesley says. “The chorus highlights how sweet it is to be treated right for the first time with a new person and how that can help dissipate the leftover pain from the previous relationship. The lyrics harness sexuality as a powerful way to express moving forward, loving oneself, and getting weird.”

The song is officially out on Friday.

||| Stream: “Honey (Lick It Up)”

||| Previously: “Palm Springs,” “Slower Than Usual”