ALBUM REVIEW: Everything Harmony – The Lemon Twigs
New York duo THE LEMON TWIGS are back with their fourth full-length record, Everything Harmony, with a promise of us hearing “something really beautiful sounding”. The group themselves, made up of brothers Brian and Michael D’Addario, are influenced by styles ranging from contemporary pop to glam punk, all the while being fully confessional in their songwriting. Overall, it sounds as though this record will be vulnerable, peaceful and have a gentle quality to it – an expectation that’s easily met in reality.
Opening track When Winter Comes Around starts with a gentle acoustic guitar that slowly builds into a full band; all the while you’re left with positive emotions due to the track’s heart-warming nature and genuine vulnerability. It’s just lovely to listen to. At this moment, you might wonder if this will set tone for the rest of the album, but that idea is quickly yet gently shut down with the following track In My Head, an upbeat pop song that you could easily place in the playlist to soundtrack a family get together.
Everything Harmony – suitably – has a little bit of everything when it comes to portraying a sense of peace and wonderment. Whether it’s the pop harmonies as heard in Any Time Of Day and What You Were Doing, the smooth jazz of I Don’t Belong To Me, the orchestral qualities of What Happens To A Heart, or the sombre moments in tracks like Still It’s Not Enough and Born To Be Lonely, the latter of which is heavily reminiscent of THE BEATLES’ She’s Leaving Home.
That’s not to say that we don’t have some small complaints to make; Corner Of My Eye might be pretty but, in all honesty, some may find it a little weird for their romantic partner to be referred as “female”, it genuinely took us out of the attempted romantic atmosphere the band were aiming to create; and Every Day Is The Worst Day Of My Life, while a lovely acoustic song, the lyrics come across as a little bit whiney and give off a ‘woe is me’ vibe despite how relatable it might be.
But these small criticisms are easily forgiven when one considers the beauty of this album and its moments that leave its listeners in genuine awe. Everything Harmony is calming, relaxing, and something to zone out to as you find yourself at peace. THE LEMON TWIGS set out to make something beautiful and, in the most spectacular way, they have achieved that goal.
Rating: 7/10
Everything Harmony is out now via Captured Tracks.
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