Originally from New Zealand’s deep south, Honeybone have been an active part of throbbing Melbourne’s live scene for over a decade, and with ‘Stratosphere’, they mark their territory in the genre, committing and delivering an anthem about the irreversibility of climate devastation. Refined without sacrificing the raw (namely the sweat, piss and blood of a live performance), ‘Stratosphere’ is a blast of Honeybone’s masterfully unhinged rock ’n’ roll at its finest.

Set in the not-so-distant future, the song tackles the state of our global climate through the lens of desperation. Both drummer Rachel Trainor and guitarist Drew Handcock cry out “where do we go from here” in a shared anguish that is representative of a collective despair, just as the delayed guitar warps and launches into its defining riff; a heavy and declaring assertion that we are hopeless without change.

The psychedelic-inspired music video filmed by Nick Manuell, offers the taste of what the band explode with onstage, from the safety of the home. The music video “took about five hours on a roasting 40 degree day in February”, says the band who feature dimly lit and glitching throughout the clip. “Nick was a total legend and we all soldiered on through the heat”. That defiance is obvious as the performance Honeybone give is all power, transcending us momentarily from the lounge into a space we wish we were.