Peel A Little Deeper is the excellent debut album from Birmingham, England-based band The Bitter Lemons, balancing garage rock, rockabilly, rhythm & blues, and punk with sharp songwriting, dark humor, and themes ranging from misogyny and identity to mental health, regret, and self-destruction. The lineup comprises Hayley on lead vocals, Richie James on bass and vocals, Dave on guitar, and Michelle Dawes on drums
“Expectations” opens the album in rousing form, wasting no time unveiling a no-frills, timeless rock sound. The rollicking, twangy guitar tones delight in their rockabilly allure, bolstered by a swinging bass line and steady percussion. Hayley’s lead delivery offers a briskly infectious energy, with call-and-response spoken quips driving into the “beyond your expectation” hook and ensuing delectable guitar solo. Ensuing track “Gaslighter” is another stirrer, developing with glimpses of brass and piano into lyrics asking “who do you think you are?” with a more debonair stride, before a fervent title-centric hook.
Another standout, “Give Me the Keys” excels in pairing themes of self-betterment with twanging guitar enjoyment, especially riveting around midpoint when Hayley’s sweltering delivery melds with a fierce guitar emphasis. “You got me feeling things,” a smitten refrain builds into a clap-laden “give me the keys” call, in a drive to “bring you to your knees.” Peel A Little Deeper is a stellar rock album from The Bitter Lemons, who craft a throwback-friendly brand of rock with an abundance of hooks and performative charisma.
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This and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
We discovered this release via MusoSoup.
