Since forming over a shared love of angry-girl anthems, Lemon Drink have carved out a reputation as one of Scotland’s most exciting emerging acts. New single ‘Patsy Kensit’ started life as lyrics scrawled in 2018, inspired by vocalist Sophie Bartholomew’s mum’s insufferable ex-boyfriend. Those lines sat at the bottom of a guitar case for years, waiting for the right home. Now, with a fully-formed lineup and production help from Frightened Rabbit’s Andy Monaghan, they’ve built an anthem around them. The result is a soaring blast of distorted pop that drips with deadpan wit. Jason Barnard caught up with the band to talk songwriting, chaotic Twitter feeds, and why music doesn’t pay the bills but they’re doing it anyway.
I understand that the lyrics for ‘Patsy Kensit’ date to near your formation. What made you hold onto those lines for so long, and how did you know this was finally the right moment to build a song around them?
We started with the bridge, which from a song writing perspective is a really odd place to begin – we didn’t intend to start with the bridge but musically and lyrically it definitely felt like a really strong pop middle-8. We sat on the bridge for years, trying to build the rest of the song around it, but just couldn’t get the rest. The main issue was instrumentally as we couldn’t figure out how we wanted to get in and out of the bridge, so we’d sort of boxed ourselves in a bit. We kept coming back to it from time to time but it finally clicked when we tried it with Lauren and Harry (our previous drummer). That’s when it finally came together, both in sound and lyrically. That, or maybe it was the Greggs breakfast that morning that inspired us – luckily it also gave us the bit of paper to write down the final song.
You’ve described the track as inspired by laughing at Sophie’s mum’s ex-boyfriend’s chaotic Twitter feed. How do you transform something so specific and absurd into something the has more universal themes?
Firstly, we would like to state for the record that he was THE worst guy in real life who just also happened to unwittingly provide comedy gold on Twitter (e.g. retweeting selfies of Patsy Kensit with absolutely no context or posting his own very wide stance mirror selfies). While the song originated around him it’s really about anyone who thinks a lot of themselves – and how frustrating it can be to be in the orbit of someone like that who brags all the time, and someone who doesn’t see how fake those people are. We think we all know someone who thinks they’re all that and a bag of chips. Funnily enough, this was one of the first songs we collaborated together as Sophie usually comes up with the lyrics solo. When we (Sophie & Kirstie “KC” Cunningham) brought what we had to the rest of the band, we were so easily able to swap stories and it was clear we all knew the “person” this song was about. So this is really an anthem for anyone who’s had to suffer the company of this “person”.
There’s a brilliant droll quality to lines like “you only drink champagne, but prosecco’s just the same.” How do you balance that deadpan humour with emotional fire without tipping into cynicism?
We’d say it’s just a reflection of our own sense of humor, most things in life are easier to deal with when you laugh about them so maybe we’re naturally looking at how ridiculous a situation is and we bypass cynicism. As the main songwriter, Sophie is also a massive overthinker and has the tendency to be cripplingly self-aware. As most of our songs are reactionary (usually to something that’s pissed us off) that dynamic between the immediacy of emotion and fire balances perfectly with the little voice inside Sophie’s head which says “are you sure…?”. Lyrically, we’re always aiming to get at least one ‘wink’ into the track, which is how we like to think of it, as opposed to cynicism.
The press release mentions channelling the “woozy romanticism of Suck It And See-era Arctic Monkeys.” What is it about that particular sound that resonated with where Lemon Drink are right now?
We should start off by saying we didn’t set out to write a tune with any specific sound in mind, we never do (but maybe we should…). But we do know we come at writing, recording and producing from a sort of ram-shackle pop influence. The lyrics for Patsy are cheeky, so we wanted to make sure this playful tone was mirrored sonically too. Paul coming into the band has definitely brought a stronger and more mature guitar sensibility to our sound, Patsy in particular – his soaring pieces really amped up the “woozy romanticism” of the track and it ended up taking on a very nostalgic sound. The playful and jaggy tones of KC’s guitar riffs pair really well with Paul’s smoother and epic waves of sound.
Your debut EP and ‘Demon Child’ built momentum, but this feels like a step into a more confident identity. Do you feel like you now know what a Lemon Drink song is in a way you didn’t before?
We’re just a lot more confident in what we think is a good song vs what should get binned, so we’re able to prioritise our time working on tunes we all feel really good about. We don’t have a ‘secret sauce’ or even have a set sound we’re chasing when we write but we do think there are a few elements which are key to the LD DNA, things that naturally make their way into songs whether we try or not. We’ve also spent a lot more time with each other, writing and really taking the time to really find the exact sounds we’re looking for collectively. We each have quite distinct tastes in music, which we only think is a good thing, so we now also understand the unique perspective each person brings to crafting a song better. We’ve got a lot of new stuff written and it all still feels like Lemon Drink, but like Lemon Drink with added vitamins.
How much of that original spirit remains from what you formed, and what’s changed since then?
The original spirit of a Lemon Drink definitely still exists, even with new members we’ve found along the way. Finding people who musically fit was always important, but finding people who shared our vibe was also super important – we need to be able to hang out as pals at the end of the day. We’re not out here trying to be the “coolest” band in Glasgow, we’re not really trying to be anything specific at all other than ourselves. We’re obviously older now than when we first started and that’s come with increased maturity and perspective, but we still don’t take ourselves too seriously and at the end of the day we just want to have a good time all the time. So we think our sound still reflects that raw and fun energy, just grown up a bit.
You’ve supported some brilliant acts and headlined King Tut’s. What’s the Glasgow indie scene like right now, and where do Lemon Drink fit within it?
Glasgow is bursting at the seams with really exciting bands and it’s very encouraging to be around them. We’ve been away for a while but people still ask us what we’re up to and it’s indicative of how much of a community we have in this city.
Everyone knows someone you know or wants to tell you about a new project you’d like or should keep an ear out for. Who are your favourite artists right now, and which ones have shaped the way Lemon Drink writes and performs?
Music was definitely the foundation of founding members Sophie & KC’s friendship, bonding over artists like Alvvays, Haim, The Beths, Honeyblood, Soccer Mommy etc. and we think you can definitely hear the influence of these artists in our songwriting.
But overall, we’re an absolute melting pot of musical interests and have all got quite different personal music tastes. Lauren’s really into a band from Cumbria called Exploding Head that are writing incredible songs right now. More generally she listens to a lot of heavy rock and garage music from the 60’s & 70’s which has influenced her writing and playing. Almost an antithesis to this is KC, who’s a total pop girlie at heart and thought Addison Rae’s album last year was excellent. Sophie crosses over a lot with KC in terms of the listening venn diagram – on her repeat at the moment is Lucy Dacus, Japanese Breakfast, Rachel Chinouriri and CMAT (all hail the queen). Paul’s mainstays are bands like Galaxie 500, Stereolab, Spacemen 3, Cocteau Twins: textural, raw, atmospheric sounds, but still with melodic and hooky songs at the core. Some current groups that are favourites would be Mo Dotti and Horsegirl.
The overlap of all of this is where the Lemon Drink sound lies.
Lauren designed the artwork for ‘Patsy Kensit.’ How important is it for you to keep creative control in-house, and does that DIY ethos extend to other aspects of the band?
Lauren: “I think of it in a pragmatic way, It’s logistically easier for me to do it haha – no it’s lovely to know we’ve created something with our own hands from start to finish so it seems natural to reflect this in every facet of a release. Music is a very visual medium now with social media the way it is and for artists, speaking broadly, I think it’s good to try and embrace it in a positive way. Personally I like to try and use fine art mediums and analogue methods as much as possible in an increasingly digital world.”
You’ve got a follow-up EP ready to record. Does ‘Patsy Kensit’ represent where that EP is heading, or is this just one facet of what’s coming next?
Patsy definitely hints at the rest of our songs to come, but she does feel like a stand alone single. That nostalgic sound probably stands alone with her, but the rest of what we love about Patsy definitely exists within our new stuff. Expect BIG riffs, hooks for days and a generally more confident sound, without losing any of the playfulness and sassyness that we’ve had since the beginning. Our new tunes exist on a spectrum, from pretty full on to softer and more introspective. Patsy’s sound probably sits somewhere to the middle/softer side of our newer stuff.
Where do Lemon Drink go next?
After being away for so long (due to various unplanned reasons) the world definitely feels like our oyster! We’re just excited to get back out playing for people as much as we can – letting people hear our tunes is what we do it for. We put so much time, passion and effort into being a band and seeing people enjoy our music and chatting to fans (old and new) about it after the shows is where you get to see that work turn into something real. But (for now), music doesn’t pay the bills, so we’ll be back to work on Monday.
