Back in May, Craig Charles on his BBC Radio 6 program played Lime Garden’s “Cross My Heart.” I thought it was a great tune and jotted it down in my list of songs to look for. Then, I completely forgot about it. That is, until two months later, when Greg James on Radio 1 Breakfast made it his “Tune of the Week.”
That particular song, oddly, wasn’t released as a single, though in the digital age that’s, sadly, meaningless. In any case, it led me to the album, their second, titled Maybe Not Tonight.
No sophomore slump here. Compared to their debut One More Thing (I went back and gave that a spin), the new album is sharper with a definite stylistic direction. It’s 10 upbeat indie rock gems, flavored with just a bit of electronica. Pairs well with a Wet Leg (I’ve insisted to fellow PCB scribe-and photographer-Liza, she get this lot sorted) or a Wolf Alice (whom Lime Garden cite as an influence) for some comparative perspective.
“Cross My Heart” and “23” are the best examples of the seamless blend of styles, though every track is a banger. Not a speed bump in the lot. There’s the sassy “Always Talking About You,” in which lead singer Chloe Howard longs to be “that bitch” that everyone is jealous of. “Body,” No surprise, looks at body confidence, and while the lyrics are a little melancholy and express vulnerability, it’s still a toe-tapper. The keyboardy “All Bad Parts” has an ‘80s vibe galloping along with a thumpy bass. Similarly, “Undressed” blends electronic stylings with some fun guitar work. Things slow down, only slightly, with the closer “Do You Know What I’m Thinking,” which has a slower tempo but with a blistering blast of guitar.
The band members hail from all over the UK and met whilst attending college in Guildford. There, they were first known simply as LIME. They relocated down the road to Brighton where each continued her studies at the BIMM Music Institute. They soon changed the name of the band to Lime Garden. Lately, they have been touring a lot, and apparently did so in the lead up to the making of this album. The results are evident in the improved musicianship, not that they were slouching on their debut album or earlier singles. As of the posting of this review, they have dates booked in the U.K. and the rest of Europe. A North American fan base is just waiting to take root.
PF Wilson has been writing about music, TV, radio, and movies for over 20 years. He has also written about sports, business, and politics with his work appearing in Cincinnati CityBeat, The Houston Press, Cleveland Scene, Cincinnati Magazine, Cincy Magazine, Atomic Ranch, and many more. Check out his podcast PF’s Tape Recorder available from Podbean or in iTunes.