EP REVIEW: Do Whatever Makes You Happy – Lemonade Shoelace

From Ireland we are introduced to rising artist LEMONADE SHOELACE and his debut EP Do Whatever Makes You Happy. His take on psychedelic indie-pop has gained fans including the likes of YUNGBLUD and DENZEL CURRY, support from publications like NME, CLASH, and Kerrang!, and even going on to win the talent callout of VANS’ Musicians Wanted. So it would be an understatement to say that he has a lot going for him.

Now for the important question, does he live up to the hype on his debut EP? Well, that depends on your stance when it comes to the mixed bag of songs that we’re presented with. Upon first listen, the direction of the first couple of tracks is somewhat confusing, and, more than anything, it is hard to discern as to whether listeners will love them or hate them. Is It Easy opens with synths that give off a mysterious vibe, like something that would be played in the soundtrack of a drama where a revelation has come to fruition, and it builds in intensity. So far, it’s pleasant sounding but then the vocals start, and things start to unravel, as the production doesn’t seem to suit the track’s direction.

There’s a similar problem with Hopscotch In The Sky that starts out with fun pop drum beats that play alongside electronic synths quite reminiscent of a theme tune from children’s television. It’s obvious that the aim was for the song to be cute and light-hearted, but it comes out too sickly sweet. To give it credit, things do come together after the first chorus, but again we’re left unsure, especially with the sudden shift towards an electronic orchestra in the last minute. It’s a bit of a shaky start to the record, but luckily things get a lot better from here with the final three songs following a more cohesive formula.

Autopilot Paradise is gentle with lovely drumbeats accompanied with pleasant pop synths that, while shifting to a more sombre nature as the song plays on, genuinely makes you feel happy. Next, we see alt-pop influences come out in I Think My Heart Is Set On You – a track that is reminiscent of The 1975 in their I Like It When You Sleep… era. Granted, the vocals come across as a bit whiney, but  you can’t help but feel enamoured by this sweet, positive track. And as for the title track, we’ll leave you with this statement: funky sci-fi jungle. Listen to it and you’ll understand what we mean.

Do Whatever Makes You Happy is strange EP that is honestly hard to form an opinion on. Some will surely appreciate the experimentation but it’s more off-putting than interesting in our honest opinion. Well, more so for the first two tracks, the remainder of the EP is good. As mentioned, a mixed bag really.

Rating: 6/10

Do Whatever Makes You Happy is set for release on April 28th via Shoelace Studios.

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