‘One of Irish music’s most captivating lyrical and sonic forces, carving out a wholly unique space within the country’s thriving folk community.’ Hot Press
‘A vital voice in the country’s thriving alternative folk scene’ The Thin Air
‘Lemoncello are a force to be reckoned with’ Earmilk
New Claddagh Records signing Lemoncello today announce that their eponymous debut album Lemoncello will be released on Friday 3rd May 2024. The album announcement comes as Laura Quirke and Claire Kinsella share their new single ‘Old Friend’ today, Friday 15th March, alongside a music video directed by Quirke.
Lyrically, ‘Old Friend’ asks what kind of conversations we would have with those closest to us if we talked to them as if we’d never met them before. If we acted as if it was the first time we were ever talking, what would we ask them? The song acknowledges that weird thing that happens when the people we hold closest and dearest become the people we are coldest around and plainly challenges the contempt that can be bred by familiarity. ‘My mother helped me up / And I barely even noticed … But a stranger helps me up / And I send her flowers.’
The video for ‘Old Friend’ was inspired by the colours in the album artwork. Director Laura Quirke says: “We wanted to create a simple and striking visual to represent the feeling of the song in a genuine way, without being overly sentimental. We ditched dancing and opted for a five-minute long hug instead – a subtle yet straight-forward reflection of the song’s meaning. The video was also in its own way a contemporary art experiment as we had to stand in a hug for 9 hours of the day to film it – with breaks only to check the smell of our armpits. The video starts abstractly, the close-ups on bodies and light both intimate and mysterious, creating an abstract, warm, human kaleidoscope, only revealing two bodies embracing at the end.”
The upcoming self-titled album captures the essence of Lemoncello’s musical evolution and explores themes of growth into adulthood, resilience and the sacrifices made for love.
Spanning nine tracks, the record chronicles the journey of learning how to hold your own – a process of learning to be the driver of your own life and to trust the instincts that were previously reigned in, after younger years spent seeking approval, permission and validation from others. Through intimate observations and uncomfortable questions with a healthy dose of playfulness, irony and humour, Lemoncello’s irresistible charisma is present throughout the record.
This chemistry and dynamic is captured and amplified by the record’s production at Analogue Catalogue Studios where the band both recorded and mixed the album to 2 inch tape with producer Julie McLarnon at the helm. McLarnon, who has brought her analogue recording philosophy and approach to records by artists such as The Vaselines, Brigid Mae Power, Yorkston Thorne Khan, Lankum & Junior Brother left a distinctively raw, unvarnished and old school stamp on the record.
The band says on the recording experience: “Recording the album on tape felt like the right way to capture the energy between us as a band. You don’t record to tape to make a really clean product – and that’s not what this album is – it’s an unfiltered document of a place and time. It was such a joy working with Julie. We didn’t look at a computer screen the whole time making the record. The best part of recording to tape is the limitations that it brings. – so in this way we benefited from having to make choices quickly and trust instinct and feeling more than technical ‘correctness’. The magic comes when you put your trust in it.’
The inimitable alchemy that occurs when Quirke and Kinsella sing together is a prominent force on the record – the vocals forward and defiant cutting through a minimal yet dramatic soundscape of cyclical, finger-picked guitar and earthy, gritty cello playing. These main four elements are lifted and pushed by strong dynamic string sections, poignant piano, dominant double bass progressions and compelling percussion – a singular sound embedded in Irish folk roots, led by the attitude of off-kilter-indie pop.
Previously nominated for Best Folk Song and Best Emerging Folk Act at the RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards, the duo’s enrapturing performances have also led them to play in Dublin’s legendary Vicar Street, The Irish Arts Centre NYC, London’s Bush Hall, and to open for esteemed artists such as Lisa O’Neill, Sam Amidon, Glen Hansard and Cormac Begley.
Lemoncello have recently announced an extensive Ireland and UK tour, with tickets on sale now via lemoncelloireland.com
