Every now and again you come across a collection of songs that clearly illustrates the moment in time you’re currently experiencing. Lemonade Baby’s new EP “Xtra Pop” is one of those unique collections. This EP is full of energetic bops that have a warmth and vibrance to them, reminding you that summer is just around the corner here in the southern hemisphere. Of course, there’s a lot more to it than that. As every track starts playing, you’re transported into a different headspace that reflects something recognisable back to you and it feels quite comforting. Lemonade Baby knows the world around him so well and ‘Xtra Pop’ is like an invitation for his listeners to experience what he’s living through in their own time.
The EP kicks off with ‘Don’t Stop (Keep on Keepin on)’, an extremely groovy track with vocals during the chorus that feel very Bee Gees-adjacent. This track blends modern funk with smooth pop and a hint of disco, to conjure up a melody that allows the strong beat and lively tempo to slide alongside the vocal track effortlessly. With choppy guitars and a solid bassline anchoring the track, you can’t really find a livelier summer track than ‘Don’t Stop (Keep on Keepin on)’. This will be the song you’ll listen to as you walk the streets when the sky is bright blue, the trees are a vivid green, and everything just feels good.
Things get turned up a notch on ‘Hounds of Love’, an energetic cover of Kate Bush‘s iconic track. The tempo is a lot faster and the beat pounds alongside twinkling samples, humming atmospherics, and Lemonade baby’s signature echoing vocals. All of these elements give this cover a dream-like quality, whilst also leaning into the more techno end of the genre spectrum. The build-up to the chorus feels quite pretty, like a big exhale, and it’s really exhilarating to listen to. There are still pop elements to Lemonade Baby‘s ‘Hounds of Love’ cover, as well as a few house influences, however the techno elements stand out the most, but don’t feel too chaotic. The melody of this track actually feels very controlled and is able to emulate the atmosphere of an underground rave (something that’s becoming increasingly popular these days), without the usual aggressive intensity. Instead, it’s a relaxed rave where you can just let go and bounce along to the music at your own pace.
‘I’m Spinning A Record’ gets right into things without worrying about any sort of introduction. We’re in full house territory here with a strong high-hat leading ghostly samples, light vocals and soft atmospherics around an almost smoky melody. Now, when I say smoky, I don’t mean that ‘I’m Spinning A Record’ is a dark track. ‘Im Spinning A Record’ is actually a track that feels positively content. It’s got a lot of movement to it, it’s steady, and it feels like the perfect song to just walk to. You’ll be able to just immerse yourself in the melody and bring yourself back to a nice middle ground if you’ve found yourself in a bit of a tumultuous environment. ‘I’m Spinning A Record’ is grounding, which is something you don’t hear about a song too often.
The mood lifts on ‘Dry Lungs’, which has a light introduction before a slower tempo brings us down to a more casual level. A steady, slapping drumbeat, wobbling samples and crisp vocals all make ‘Dry Lungs’ an almost psychedelic track that still feels warm and vibrant. Each element plays a part in ensuring the melody flows well and in all honesty, this is another example of the perfect summer song. This is a song you’ll want to be listening to when you’re at the beach, feeling so hot that you’re seeing a few weird things on the horizon, but you don’t care because you’re in such a good mood.
Finally, we arrive at ‘Tints’ which features vocals from the very talented Kevin Collet, as well as Lemonade Baby. The grooviness we heard on ‘Don’t Stop (Keep on Keepin on)’ returns here in the form of muted background vocals, a hard beat, and gorgeous vocals. This song has a lot of funkiness to it, but it’s also incredibly smooth and airy at the same time. The guitar licks are delicate, but still make a big impact on the melody by slicing through the subtle atmospherics and vocals, to create a series of lovely sound textures. It’s another summer dream in musical form and it’s so fun to bop along to.
As the weather heats up, ‘Xtra Pop’ is the perfect collection of songs to immerse yourself in. This EP recognises what’s happening right here, right now, not just in music, but also in our everyday lives, with genre-bending elements and colourful atmospherics, painting a picture of a summer filled with great music, whether you’re more into something more chilled out, or an avid night raver. Lemonade Baby may not have intended to create an EP filled with tracks that perfectly capture this specific moment in time, but ‘Xtra Pop’ paints a great picture of the musical era we’re currently in and how a good track can perfectly accompany our experience of the changing seasons.
out now via: Mammal Sounds Records
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