Since releasing their debut EP three years ago, Sydney’s Lime Cordiale have been synonymous with the Australian summer. Think road trips, rivers and bars in small towns. Their work is nostalgic in a way that particularly appeals to millennials, probably because – as they access the band’s music using the internet – it makes them long for a time when music wasn’t discovered by using a computer screen. On their new EP Road To Paradise, the band continues to run with that aesthetic, only with more precise pop songwriting than ever before.
Opening track “Spider Legs” is quintessential Lime Cordiale: catchy, lively and individualistic. “I need to have my lonely time / and I’m not one of those lonely guys” sings Leimbach, setting the scene for the rest of the EP. The mood of liberation is perhaps most present in lead single “Not That Easy”, a track that encapsulates the process of becoming carefree. While all of the band’s songs are worthy of road-trip playlists, this one is especially fitting: the video for the track even documents the band on a road trip (and, at one point, riding seaways).
Even though the band isn’t overtly political, they still dole out criticism: on “Other Ties” (the song from which the EP title is drawn), Leimbach sings of a person going the wrong direction on the “road to paradise”. Sonically, the track is reminiscent of early 2000’s indie rock, and the percussion is a highlight. “Good From Far” follows in the same vein and also sounds nostalgic, with a 70’s feel complementing the accusatory lyrics, “You’re good from far / but it’s far from good”.
The last track on the record, “Feel Alright”, has all the makings of a summer hit and a dreamlike interlude that makes it replay-worthy. It sees the band doing what they do best: writing an unpretentious, catchy pop song. Because of their pop sensibilities, it’s difficult to understand why the band isn’t more well-known than they already are – Road To Paradise is a lot of fun, and it’s effortlessly likeable.
Review Score: 8.2 out of 10.
Road To Paradise is out now.
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