Lime Garden – ‘One More Thing’ review: an enjoyably jagged, ambitious cacophony

8 February, 2024

lime garden band

Following a stellar run of singles – from the groove-punk ditty ‘Surf N Turf’ to ‘Pulp’, which sounds like if Scissor Sisters covered The Breeders – 2022 saw Brighton four-piece Lime Garden sprint to the top of Ones To Watch lists. They’ve since supported The Big Moon on tour and have appeared at major festivals across the globe, building some serious momentum ahead of their debut ‘One More Thing’. Plucking sounds and aesthetics from both late ’00s indie sleaze and contemporary alt-pop, this stellar record – which takes its name from a short story by Raymond Carver – is nothing short of electric.

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With its flurry of siren-like effects, plus the combination of lead songwriter Chloe Howard’s howling vocals and guitarist Leila Deeley’s jagged riffs, ‘Love Song’ immediately demands attention. ‘Mother’ – a deeply moving reflection on the relationship between a parent and an adult daughter – leans more into atmospheric shoegaze, rather than the previous track’s Bloc Party-like urgency. “Can’t afford to live my life / I’m scared of living or to die / The thought of what it would be like / As the years seem to go bye-bye,” Howard sings.

Recent single ‘Pop Star’ details the highs and lows of pursuing your rock ‘n’ roll dreams while still working a second, “real” job. The realities of navigating the music industry is a theme that is revisited throughout the LP. ‘Fears’, for example, replicates the surreal, underwater feeling of rising panic; especially when your dreams seem inaccessible and determined to lock you out.

Tracks like ‘Floor’ – a fun and endearing auto-tuned dance track reminiscent of Charli XCX’s ‘Boys’ – and ‘Pine’ demonstrate the band’s eagerness for experimentation. The only moment where the record meanders is on the slightly muddy ‘It’, which starts slow and trails along without arriving anywhere powerful.

‘Nepotism (Baby)’ and ‘I Want To Be You’ explore the complicated relationships women often have with one another; twisting sombre jealousy with admiration. Witty and sardonic, Lime Garden’s lyrics would feel at home on any great sprechgesang record: “Tried to get surgery to see her how you see,” they sing on the latter. Yet the band’s exuberant sound marks them as their own distinct entity; entirely within their own league.