It’s been a while since we featured Dutch psychedelic outfit Lemon, and we are happy to report that during such a period, they have not lost their unapologetically quirky and playful character. In fact, the band has been hard at work on a ten-track album that has recently seen the light of day. Aptly titled, ‘Keep Shining’ showcases the unrepentant, enjoyable creativity that propels the Amsterdam-based outfit. In love with the British Madchester movement, Lemon share a close affinity with the likes of The Stone Roses, although they do like to expand the sonic palette towards neighbouring genres. Be it funk-flavoured ventures or spacious shoegaze-leaning cuts.
In that sense, ‘Keep Shining’ represents a rather faithful representation of what Lemon stands for. Celebrating their own style as ‘Nedchester’, the Dutch group has clear ideas about where they are headed, and also appears to not be taking themselves too seriously; a philosophy that’s quite timely and observant given the project’s sonic settings. The album will not be available on streaming services, but will instead be provided via physical format, with CD and Vinyl available right now. Buy them here. You can always get a preview of the record down below.
Lemon are Mark ‘Bong The Bass’ Bongers (bass, vocals), Thomas Gense (guitars, keyboards, percussion, vocals), Paul Hesen (drums, vocals), and Ralf Hesen (guitars, vocals). What’s their motivation, you ask? Well, the band are quite cryptic about that, although they are adamant about how the answer to that question can be found in the lyrics behind ‘Music Is My Lifeline’: “This wicked world is driving me crazy / This twisted life, it makes me so sad / There’s little I find that makes life worth living for / There’s so much I see that makes no sense / But music is my lifeline / Music is my lifeline / Music is what keeps me sane”.
There you go: for Lemon, artistic expression becomes a healthy and cathartic method of coping with our over-complexed and dystopian reality.
Recommended! Discover ‘Keep Shining’ now: