Don’t Get Lemon – Paid Holiday (2025)
Known for a sound that “…lives between the dance floor and late-night confessional…”, UK-based trio Don’t Get Lemon bring a vintage edge of 80s synth-sliced music to modern-day audiences. We first came across Don’t Get Lemon a few years ago with their 2020 EP, Forward Not Forgetting, leaning toward a post-punk flavour; since then, the lads have not only explored various sounds, honing a sound that has polish and sophistication, but have retained a raw slice of vulnerability. The latest addition to their discography is the single, ‘Paid Holiday’.
Following their 2024 album, Have Some Shame, Don’t Get Lemon showcases a turning point in their vintage synth-driven, post-punk tones, merging a new-wave-flecked tone with a rugged take of Britpop. Think The Bluetones dancing about with The Chameleons, and you’ll get a feel of the glamour and grit oozing from Don’t Get Paid Lemon’s ‘Paid Holiday’. Then again, the kaleidoscopic ambience of the track could just push you into a sonic whirlpool, leaving you to figure it out for yourself.
Penned and produced by Don’t Get Lemon, with mixing by Ryan Santos Phillips and mastering by Paul Gold, ‘Paid Holiday’ is a concoction of Bryan Walters’ bold bass, Nick Ross’s shimmering synths, soaring guitar and steady drumming, lingering across the wave of music. For me, however, it is Austin Curtis’ vocals that bring a sense of structure to ‘Pain Holiday’ while flowing freely within the sonic waves. Mellifluous and tranquil, but at the same time cutting and brash.
Melodically, Don’t Get Lemon’s ‘Paid Holiday’ oscillates between darkness and light, abruptness and sincerity, confidence and fragility, hope and desperation. The band explains: “It’s a soundtrack for anyone who’s ever stared out a window and wondered if there’s more waiting beyond the parking lots, cul-de-sacs, and endless routines and for those who dream, even when they know they probably won’t leave.”
In addition to the single, Don’t Get Lemon released an official lyric video for ‘Paid Holiday’. You can view the lyric video below and/or on their YouTube channel.
Find out more about Don’t Get Lemon on their Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Bandcamp, Soundcloud and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
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