LEMON PARTY - How CD-EP
New band from Dunoon near Glasgow unleash their thoughts with anguish and strength on a storming set of tracks on this debut EP. Things kick off with the title track where the throb of resonant bass introduces lurching, crunching drums, a bass undercurrent of electric guitar before the sea of flowing guitar riffs sparks into a searing heat lead guitar break amid crashing cymbals and the throbbing undertow of bass and drums. Above this a sneer of a lead vocal enters to deliver a mid-paced verse before taking off with the band into the next part of the song as things continue apace before falling back and then sway between the two, the song delivered with punch from the band and emotive atmosphere from the singer. It's heady, powerful stuff, got a certain commercial sense of being while at the same time showing that the band can really deliver the goodds, with a guitarist who flares when required and provides depth and fire at all other times over the strident rhythm team that propel the song and hold it all together. After that, they go into “You Me At Half Six”, if anything a more commercial song, reminding me a bit of a cross between a relaxed The View and more than a touch of Arctic Monkeys and you get the feel that this would be the track to win them the following they already sound like they deserve, as you could imagine any fan of the Monkeys loving this to death. It's solid yet lightweight, harmony vocals on the chorus adding spice to the dryness of the lead vocal, while yet another, albeit brief, heated guitar break, rise out of the mix before the song rattles and rolls ever onwards in its addictive, almost mesmerising, manner. “The Diamond”, oddly the hook word of the previous track, rolls into life with rocking drums, spiralling upper register guitar and deep rumbling bass as a guitar riff comes out of nowhere, the pace and direction change, the backing careers back and forth between a memorable riff and the rolling rhythms. Over this, the vocal delivers the observational song with suitable venom, saying what he's got to say and no-one's gonna stop him as the band twist and turn between the two arrangements that they've heralded to date on what amounts to a song that says “you'd better not mess with me” in a tidal wave of strength and dtermination. Finally, with a rolling wave of guitar riffing, we get “The Sound Team Song” which veritably bounces along as the guitar sheers out and leads the way as the whole band drive it all forward and a more View-like vocal delivers the more urgently paced song with feeling and this is a wonderfully commercial and addictive song that's gonna be swirling around in your head for ages after you've heard it and I'd like to be it's one heck of a crowd-pleaser performed live, as you can imagine the whole audience leaping up and down with reckless abandon to this simple yet so effective indie ditty. Overall, a great start for a new band and promises much more to come.