An impactful and defining debut album from Lime Garden
Almost exactly four years since Lime Garden dropped their debut single ‘Surf N Turf’ in 2020, it’s safe to say they haven’t rushed into releasing a full-length album. In fact, they have never actually released an EP either; a long run of stand-alone singles and a lot of non-stop touring has led to this point and now, their debut LP One More Thing has finally arrived.
Having already performed headline shows based on only a handful of these successful singles, including the likes of ‘Clockwork’ and ‘Sick & Tired’, it’s unsurprising that this album has been hotly-anticipated by the band’s fanbase and the wider indie music community alike. In build-up to the album, they rolled out four further singles, with three of them - ‘Love Song’, ‘Mother’, and ‘Nepotism (baby)’ - appearing back-to-back at the start of the record.
Particularly in the first half, One More Thing appears to continue the trajectory that Lime Garden have been following in their earlier career and while this may be rise as a problem for bands who are far deeper into their careers, it has quite the opposite effect here; why completely change the formula that has been working for you so far, when you are only on the very first album of your career and your sound is far from exhausted at this point in time?
But while they may not be vastly different sonically to Lime Garden’s earlier work, these tracks do present a more confident and self-assured version of the band, with more layered, complex instrumentation and powerfully-delivered, punchy vocals. And as things progress, they begin to introduce new experimentations; the track ‘Pop Star’ incorporates hyperpop-infused vocal distortions, while ‘Pine’ is dreamy and atmospheric, with soaring vocals and enough breathing space for the intricate guitar patterns to shine through.
Growing up on their debut album: Lime Garden (photo credit: Jono White)
The track which is perhaps the most atypical of Lime Garden is ‘Floor’, again featuring vocal
distortions and autotuned, almost robotic vocals, which soar across the instrumental while sounding that they could just as easily belong in a futuristic pop song. The track has a short runtime, clocking in at only just over two minutes, but it is one of the highlights of One More Thing, with Lime Garden continuing to diversify their soundscapes without straying too far from what gained them a dedicated fanbase in the first place.
The longest track on the album, ‘It’, follows soon after, beginning as an eerie and haunting vocal-led track, with the instrumental scarcely present in the background. But as the song progresses, layers emerge gradually, piercing through the near silence to transform it into a full indie-rock tune. Then, the band strip it back again for the acoustic guitar-led closing track ‘Looking’, which sees Lime Garden embracing the beauty of simplicity as gentle keys ease the album to a natural close.
Speaking of One More Thing ahead of its release, vocalist and rhythm guitarist Chloe Howard said: “I feel like you can hear us growing up in the songs” and the album does instil the feeling in the listener that we are hearing all four members of Lime Garden truly get to grips with their sound, their instruments and their roles within the band. They saved their debut album until they were ready for it and as a result, One More Thing is as impactful and defining as it could possibly be.
Rating: 8.5/10
One More Thing is out on Friday (16 February) via So Young Records