LOS ANGELES, CA- Lime Garden, a Brighton-based indie-electro band, has quickly emerged as a standout act in the indie music scene, thanks to their infectious blend of indie-pop sounds, clever lyrics, and a unique mix of early 2000s indie-sleaze and experimental pop influences. Comprising Chloe Howard (vocals and rhythm guitar), Leila Deeley (lead guitar), Tippi Morgan (bass), and Annabel Whittle (drums), these four best friends started making music together during their teenage years, establishing a deep connection that shines through in their music and creative process.
Since their formation in 2021, Lime Garden has captivated audiences and critics alike with their engaging singles, leading to a relentless touring schedule that includes headline shows and supporting slots for major acts like IDLES, The Big Moon, and Yard Act. Their dedication to their craft is evident in their dynamic live performances, which have garnered a loyal fanbase and fine-tuned their act into a must-see event.
Their debut album, “One More Thing,” produced by the renowned Ali Chant (who has worked with the likes of Perfume Genius, PJ Harvey, and Yard Act), marks a significant milestone in their career. The album reflects their transition into adulthood and the music industry, weaving together personal growth, the realities of being musicians, and the strength of their friendship. It stands as a testament to Lime Garden’s hard work, talent, and the authentic connection they share with each other and their fans.
This band’s journey from its early days to the release of “One More Thing” is a compelling story of ambition, hard work, and success. Their achievements include performing at major festivals, a nomination for the prestigious ANCHOR award, and a rapidly growing following. More than their accomplishments, it’s the band’s genuine portrayal of friendship, womanhood, and the music industry—infused with humor, sarcasm, and vulnerability—that makes their music relatable and refreshing.
I was able to email the band some questions and they were kind enough to answer my questions. The responses below are from the group collectively, unless stated otherwise.
*******************
BLURRED CULTURE: Your rise since 2021 has been impressive. I’m certainly digging your music. Can you describe the journey from your early days to releasing ‘One More Thing’
LIME GARDEN: From day one we’ve had a collective determination to be a successful band. I’m not sure we’d defined what ‘success’ was, but like most bands there are little goals or milestones e.g. first show, first headline, first press interview, etc. We knew it was getting more serious when someone wanted to release our music on vinyl! Since then it’s been choatic, non stop and a ridiculous amount of fun.
Working with Ali Chant must have been an enriching experience. How did this collaboration influence the sound and production of your new LP?
In all honesty we were a bit hesitant about working with anyone given it was our debut album and lots more songs. Previously, we’d worked with different producers on each of our singles. Luckily, we couldn’t have found a more perfect match than Ali, he harnessed our nervous energy and helped us to see what our album would look like before we could see it. Ali has a talent for capturing a bands live energy and that’s something we wanted with our first record. He made us feel at home in the studio, the whole experience was very chilled – which allowed us to free our minds of any stresses and concentrate on the songs. A lot of it was sharing ideas and trying new things, we had the songs and Ali helped us shape them. For example, the track “It” was a tiny and very un polished idea when we first entered the studio. Ali’s influence was to interpret the sounds we described and then introduce us to some of his vintage synths! – that took us into a much deeper and analogue sound that suddenly brought the sounds in our head to life.
You’ve toured extensively and played at major festivals like SXSW and Glastonbury. What’s your most memorable live performance to date and why? Also, selfishly, as I’m probably heading back to SXSW this year, any chance you’ll be heading back to Austin, or even just stateside… like, for example, Los Angeles.
Different shows stick with you for different reasons – For me, playing to a packed out Paradiso in Amsterdam has always stuck with me. The building is so epic and to go somewhere I have always wanted to go and never been and play to around 2000 people felt unbelievable. I remember feeling like an imposter while simultaneously feeling myself coming into my own on stage. And No SXSW this year i’m afraid …..however we are embarking on our first ever American tour in May dates are as follows:
-
- 2nd May- Baby’s Alright – New York
- 4th May- Beat Kitchen- Chicago
- 7th May- Bottom of the Hill- San Francisco
- 9th May- The Echo- Los Angeles
See you in L.A.!?
Touring can be grueling. Can you share a behind-the-scenes story that encapsulates the highs and lows of life on the road?
Touring can be gross and so exhausting but I honestly think we were created for the lifestyle, we just love it. The one thing I can try to describe that explains the contrasts of life on the road is that majority of the time you are just waiting around, in vans, in airports, in venues for an entire day feeding your nervous and excited energy for the show. Then all of a sudden around 10pm you’re doing the most exhilarating adrenaline fuelled thing in the world. That contrast day to day can make you go a bit mad but I think that helps us and we harness that weird energy within our performances.
It’s been said that your songs often blend light-hearted melodies with deeper themes. Can you walk us through your songwriting process? How do you guys strike this balance?
I think at the beginning of our songwriting journey we used this method as a way of avoiding being too vulnerable with our releases, but as we have grown the need to hide behind silly metaphors and play on words has ever so slightly diminished. I have always admired and loved pop music and its structure and form so a huge part of how we operate is exploring the way pop songs and in particular melody work and how we can take them apart and put them back together in our own way. Writing has and always will be a form of therapy for me, I’m overall terrible with talking about how I’m feeling and I overthink pretty much every aspect of my life so writing songs has become this therapeutic vomit of words that I need to get out of my system.
In your press releases it’s written that ‘One More Thing’ seems to reflect a coming of age narrative. Was this a conscious theme during the writing process or something that emerged organically?
The themes in this album are all completely organic, we never set out to make a coming of age album it just happened. Our entire early adult lives have been growing up in this band so I think sonically the songs just naturally reflected that feeling of growth and new found creativity that we have found over the years of writing together.
It seems that you’ve navigated the indie scene with remarkable success. This may be cliché questions, but what challenges have you faced as an all-female band in a predominantly male-dominated industry?
When we started out at 16/17 we were often the only women on a lineup or in a green room, over the years the sheer amount of female talent that has begun to crop up is so exciting. I feel like ( although there is a long way to go) the music industry is opening its eyes to the way women play instruments and communicate through music. It feels like there is a shift happening and to be apart of that is all we could’ve ever wanted when we started this journey. The main thing for us is trying to help the world see that all female bands aren’t some perfect industry gimmick, but in fact four normal mates writing music for anyone who resonates with it and figuring it out as we go.
What advice would you give to aspiring musicians trying to break through in today’s music landscape?”
I would say go into this with no expectations and NEVER do it for the money (because you will be waiting a while). The main thing is creating for yourself, just write as much as you physically can and never write for anyone else.
You’ve been praised for your unique indie-electro sound. Who are your musical influences, and how have they shaped your music?
Growing up with an 80s obsessed mother I think has something to do with it! From an early age rhythm and danceability were two things I was hyper aware of in music, the blending of guitars and synths just seemed much more interesting than a lot of the guitar music in the indie scene. That paired with a love of pop music definitely made me curious as to how we could incorporate this more into the music that just the standard band set up. Bands like Metronomy, Phoenix, LCD Sound System, MGMT and in more recent years bands like Working Mens Club and PVA all opened our eyes to the possibilities within indie music.
Hayley Williams of Paramore gave you a glowing endorsement. How has her music or career influenced your band?
This will forever be one of the craziest things to happen to us haha. We all had posters of Hayley in our bedrooms when we were growing-up, so the thought that she knows of our existence is quite frankly astounding. Hayley was (and still is) such a strong and commanding role model for so many girls growing up in the 2010s. The way Paramore brought alternative music to the mainstream is something we have always aspired to follow. Literally everything is emo because of her.
If you could collaborate with any artist, living or dead, who would it be and why?
I HATE this question, however I am gonna say…. Daft Punk! we would make a hit together. Hit us up boys if you fancy it!
Each of you has to pick: If Lime Garden were a dish, what would it be and why
Chloe- I think we would be a lasagna as no one knows quite how many layers we have.
Annabel- I think we would be a lamb tagine as some of us (Annabel) are fruity.
Tippi- I think we would be a mushroom pie with gravy and peas, because it is a classic northern English dish. And it’s hearty and we have a lot of heart.
Leila- Soup, I don’t know why it just feels right.
What’s next for Lime Garden after ‘One More Thing’? Are there any upcoming projects or tours that fans should be excited about?
A year of touring awaits. We are heading out on our biggest tours yet going all around the UK, Europe and US. Then, lots of festivals and hopfully not a lot of rain or mud! We will be consistently writing, half the second album is almost there and its shaping up to be a RAGER. Come to a show and buy a record you won’t regret it we rock HARD CORE.
Follow Lime Garden on Facebook, Instagram and X.
*********************
Comments
