I first saw Lime Garden at Papillon during the So Young weekender event. I was immediately hooked on the absolute swagger the band presented themselves which, and they put on my favourite show of the weekend.
The band first got together in Guildford with guitarist and vocalist Chloe Howard, guitarist Leila Deeley, drummer Annabelle Whittle meeting in college, but was fully realised when bassist Tippi Morgan joined after becoming flatmates with Annabelle and Leila in Brighton.
“Maybe Not Tonight” is their latest album, released a while ago but i still wanna talk about it. The ten track release focuses on themes like relationships, aging and self identity, classic themes given a dance floor indie rock beat and a little electronic flair.
The first track, “23”, Speaks on the relatable fear of getting older. Driven by bass-filled synth and a funky Nile-Rivers-esque guitar (trust me listen to the song), The lyrics are so relatable to the fears that your life is running away, even though by all accounts you’re still young. This song is my favourite on the record.
“Cross my Heart” is an upbeat song lead by a catchy bassline and tambourine. The sound is definitely immediately recognisable, but it’s meaning was not clear to me on first listen. Perhaps it is about a mutual breakup? Whatever the case, it is a fun song.
“Downtown Lover” has a britpop kinda feel. This song has the least amount on synths on the album, and is a song you could imagine on a more classical indie rock record.
“All Bad Parts” – Dance-y feel, clear but poetic lyrics. Funky bass. Crazy drums. My second favourite song on the album of hits.
“Maybe Not Tonight” Is the title track on the album. It is fast, full of interesting musical additions and is a great song that I highly recommend.
“Body”, as you can guess, is all about self-image. “I hate the way my body looks too, if that helps but it won’t”. It’s a song about feeling out of someone else’s league, but more importantly it’s about self-hatred. A really well written song.
“Lifestyle” is a song that I think is about losing a partner and regretting it, and surrounding yourself with friends to escape your loneliness. This is just a theory however, this mad prophet is unsure that he is reading into it correctly. The song itself is a bit too safe and generic for my liking, especially due to the greatness of other tracks on this album.
“Undressed” is another song that plays it more generic. I hate to be mean or overly rude, but it kinda reminds me of H&M music. Not my jam.
“Always Talking About You”, has a lo-fi feel, that general English indie sleaze you’re probably accustomed to. The drums give energy to the more ethereal soundscape. For me, the distortion on the guitars at the apex of the song is a bit too much, but it’s a fine song.
“Do You Know What I’m Thinking” is a love song about not knowing if love is for you. As such, it has that general feel you might expect of a song of this nature. The song is good, but when I come to this album it’s not one that I find myself going for.
“Maybe Not Tonight” is an album of two halves. It has no bad songs, just really good ones and ones that are more generic, with a line drawn between the two halves where “Body” and “Lifestyle” meet. I do really enjoy this band and this record, so definitely check them out if you haven’t already, and I believe they have the ability to make it big.
