When life gives you limes, make guacamole. I would if I liked avocado. New post time!

Good Morning to you! I’m Jacob Braybrooke and it used to be my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day before my adulthood got right in the way! It has been a few weeks since I last found the time to write on the blog so, first of all, thank you once again for waiting for me to return so patiently. Secondly, it allowed the space for plenty of emerging artists to grow and nurture in my favour since the last time that we interacted. One of my favourite bands that I discovered in that meantime was Lime Garden. Not only are they an all-female alternative pop 4-piece from Brighton, but they also specialise in their own brand of “Wonk Pop” which the ladies describe as an exotic combination of Disco, Pop and Surf Rock blended together. I would add that their sound takes me back to the 00’s where bands like Hard-Fi and Caesars scored chart hits with jams that were mainstream indie boom music in essence but they also had a slight urban twist to them where Dance and Psychedelic elements came into the fold rather subtly. Of course, “Wonk Pop” may imply that it’s cheap like Wonky Veg in the supermarket, but I like to think it’s as fresh as the cucumbers that you can buy straight from the greengrocers. Awful analogies aside, check out ‘Pop Star’ before reading my thoughts on the charming track below.

Reading & Leeds, Green Man and Standon Calling are just three of the festivals which Lime Garden have played since forming in 2017 leading to support slots with Yard Act and Sunflower Bean on tour. ‘One More Thing’ is the debut album out recently on So Young Records, which is a really confident first full-length effort. Lyrics reflecting on the modern strong woman stereotypes and the lengths that a creative is willing to go to get noticed are just a few of the core themes that speak to me and I feel that both their musical influences and their honest lyricism come to pass strongly in ‘Pop Star’. The opening synth riff is an interesting sonic choice that sets the scene for the sporadic lifestyle that vocalist Chloe Howard sings about with its upbeat yet slightly imperfect nature in how the pattern is a tad unsettled. The drums rattle on at a percussive, improv Jazz-like pace as Howard lays bare the highs and lows of navigating the music industry as a struggling artist with low name value. “I don’t want to work my job, cause life is short and this is long” during the chorus and “I’m finding it hard to breathe and I’m finding it hard to believe/Is this what its like for you or is this just what its like for me” in the verses details the realities of feeling stuck in a job which the powers that be have laid out for you and the curse of comparison to others on social media, respectively. Although the blind pursuit of an exciting dream that feels destined for depression is a personal reflection on these everyday issues for musicians, I also feel there’s something wider that Howard and pals are getting at here. There’s a thematic sense of rebellion to the record in which they feel defiant against the overexposure of generic music by established names being given all of the airplay and support in the modern media. The last lyric that I mentioned, especially, makes this clear to me in a subtle fashion. Overall, I really like how intelligence and dexterity are quite specific attributes to Lime Garden as a band here that can’t be heard on just any record and they offer a deep conversation on ‘Pop Star’ that, as well as the tune being quite a lively and eccentric one to groove to, there’s an attitude to it that feels totally Punk buried beneath the more obvious influences. I absolutely love the sense of specifity to them and if you haven’t heard of Lime Garden before but you are a fan of bands like Warpaint, The Strokes and The Last Dinner Party, I think that you will find their solid LP as fresh as a lime straight from the most tender source too.

That’s all for now! Thank you for your time today and keep your eyes peeled on the blog because, later in the week, I will be posting about a groovy new track by a funk, Jazz and Afrobeat-inflicted band who have recorded music with Hot Chip frontman Alexis Taylor and they have performed at KEXP’s World Clash Day back in April 2019.

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