The Dandy’s “Lemons” Single Review
By Alayna Fong
You’ve heard the catch phrase “when life gives you lemons, turn them into Lemonade” right? The cliché phrase doesn’t scream “new 2022 favourite track of the year!” vibes, does it?
Well, you couldn’t be more wrong.
Local Meanjin outfit The Dandys have nailed it on the head with their latest single ‘Lemons’ which is just that. It is a sultry, indie, alt-rock take on the cliché catch phrase we all know. The release of ‘Lemons’ comes after the success of their debut release just last year ‘Good Life’, which captures in its lyrics the raw emotion of feeling lost in the desperate search for the “good life” – whatever that may be – while also remaining a laidback track.
‘Lemons’ takes on a similar feel. Its lyrics are just as emotional, its beat just as catchy and its overall vibe just as laidback. The 4-piece band has the classic indie sound of Brisbane and if I am correct with my gut feeling, the band is going to keep giving us banging tracks that perfectly mix the sultry sound and headbanging beats we hear in this latest release.
If that isn’t promising enough, ‘Lemons’ has similar sounds to fellow local Meanjin artist Hope D and American singer and songwriter K. Flay, namely their track ‘Giver’. I absolutely adore these two artists; they never fail to deliver tracks that suit any mood, and they too are full of passion and lyrics of raw emotion that no doubt reflects their personal experiences.
I review this song as someone who can and will listen to almost everything. It is very easy for me to lose myself in the lyrics and rhythm of a song and so it comes as no surprise I was instantly in love with this one. But one thing I don’t do often is instantly add a song to all of my playlists and boy did I do jjust that!
The one thing that made it stand out from others, is the relatability of the very personal and powerful lyrics. They aren’t just lyrics to sing along to, they are lyrics that speak to you and as an anxious person myself who often battles the negativity of my own mind, I felt like it was a ballad just for me.
The band’s frontwoman Mads Protheroe said the song “is a reflection of the surreal experience of mania and how sometimes we try so hard to be positive, but life keeps giving us lemons.”
It’s a reminder of how life’s obstacles and our mind’s bad thoughts (lemons) can be overcome (turned into lemonade) even if it feels like we are still not going anywhere (lemonade laced with cyanide). But as we jump into the chorus, we are reminded that at the end of the day, we are still kicking, and the mind never wins.
Its powerful.
