Stream Lemonade's new album 'Diver'

Lemonade originally hail from San Francisco but now reside in New York, which is where they realised their ambitions as a band and released their first self-titled album in 2008. As a new-comer to the sounds from this trio, I’m surprised at their genuine mix-up of styles for what seemed from the outside to be an average indie-dabbling-in-electro band. Although each song on this second full-length album of theirs comes equipped with friendliness, there’s nothing fragile or subtle about it, in fact the most modest aspect are Callan Clendenin’s vocals. He sings with the nonchalant style of a west coast American soft-rock artist, yet the variation of beats he lays his voice upon could quite easily be released as instrumentals and, if they were, I think my vision of the music would be pretty different from the notion Callan’s voice brings. Minus the vocals from track nine Big Changes for example, could be mistaken for the new wave house music by someone like Night Slugs’ Jam City (though perhaps a bit cheesier).

Opener Infinite Style had me thinking the album was going to be a much bassier set of songs than it ended up being. Before the trance-y synths come in, Lemonade greet with bass and tribal drums in tow. It’s almost dubstep, but with a singer who rings bells of something emo. But they luckily don’t sound a thing like Enter Shikari’s emo-dubstep thing. So at least from the first track I conclude on confusing, but somehow very pleasing.

Track three, Ice Water, is another trance-y one but, just like all the others, is topped off with the unexpected vocals that in this instance repeatedly sing ‘put your cold hands on me’. Coming in at number four, Eye Drops’ rolling, clapping beat, is another one reminiscent of the work of a UK bedroom producer – the manipulated voice in the background is another testament to this, as well as the echoing ‘I feel so much love’ rolling around behind.

All in all, ‘Diver’ is very easy listening in terms of both lyricism and music. Despite its dabbling in genres from all over, it’s still stands sturdily in the realms of pop music and it’s probably the fact the trio have only dipped their hypothetical toes in different areas of music that ends up keeping them soberly upright and centred.

Lemonade are touring America and the rest of the world through June and early July, you can see dates here, and also stream the album in full from the same place.