Brighton-based rockers Lime Garden have been building a reputation and honing a distinct sound over the past three years as the quartet has steadily unveiled a series of singles betraying the influence of electro-tinged indie from the aughts New York scene. Now, the group’s debut album One More Thing is finally here, providing a more complete picture of where these singles have been leading—buzzing keyboard-laced rock dipping into the realm of anthemic grunge, in so many words.
As the band tells it, most of these tracks have their origins in the bedroom, whether it be while noodling with synths in the living space of the band’s Chloe Howard or the lyrical themes of relationships that are forged or unraveled within such intimate confines. Leaning heavily into the sounds and fashions of the indie sleaze movement (if only vocoders were permitted in the scene’s original chapter), the band—with the help of Ali Chant, who’s produced for Perfume Genius, PJ Harvey, Youth Lagoon, among others—clearly have their finger on the quickened pulse of the dance-punk revival.
With the record out today, Lime Garden took us through each of One More Thing’s 10 tracks. Stream the LP here or at the player below.
1. “Love Song”
This was inspired by the indie sleaze music we listened to growing up. It’s a song about allowing yourself to be loved and enjoying something wonderful in the moment.
2. “Mother”
This started in Chloe’s bedroom with the synth chord progression. We wanted to write a song about the feeling of regret toward how we treated our mothers as teenagers and how we felt about our own ideas of motherhood; we felt that it was something often not talked about in music, but something that everyone feels but can’t quite grasp into words.
3. “Nepotism (baby)”
The song started as just two chords in Chloe’s bedroom and became a tongue-in-cheek reflection of nepotism within creative industries. We wrote this in about 30 minutes with all intention of never using it. We played it in a rehearsal for our producer Ali Chant and he was insistent it went on the album.
4. “Popstar”
We were using Swim Deep’s studio in London and found their omnichord. This started this fast-paced loop about not wanting to work (it was a Sunday, and we had to go back to work tomorrow). The lyrics stuck and here we are.
5. “Pine”
This song was written about nostalgia toward a specific place. Using a folk sample, we pitch-shifted it and that lay the foundation for the song. We decided to experiment vocally and structurally with this song, focusing on that feeling of comfortable dread.
6. “I Want to Be You”
Written about a month before going into record the album, this track was written about the carnal desire of a teenage fan. Chloe often struggles to differentiate between wanting to be someone or be with someone, and that sums up this song. It’s in that confusing manic headspace where you’re feeling two polar opposites at the same time.
7. “Floor”
Originally written four years ago and taking the form of a dream-pop track, we decided to revisit it and completely shake it up. Written as a soppy love/breakup song originally, we twisted the music and meaning to essentially become a song about sleeping around.
8. “Fears”
The constant anxiety that comes with our lifestyles and creating music was the fuel for this track. We wanted the music to reflect the feeling of anxious thoughts that spiral before you go to sleep at night. The song is based off a loop, and through this the song has a feeling of repetition that feels something like a fever dream.
9. “It”
We wanted to offer up a “sad” song, something which we haven’t really shown people before. The production on this is extremely stripped back, leaving the vocals to shine through. Lyrically the song dives through feelings of despair and asking yourself, “Is this it, is this the point?” The song is about the human confusion of floating around on this planet not really knowing why or how.
10. “Looking”
This is our most bare and exposed track and for sure the most intimate on the album. The song describes the somewhat bumpy relationship between Chloe and her dad, and how that’s left her feeling.
