Based in Portland, Maine, Lemon Pitch are an indie rock band who draw on the last 40-odd years of indie music to make songs that feel both fresh and timeless. Back in 2020 they released their debut album, Flat Black Sea, an introduction to their “lyrically dense noisy pop” style which referenced touchstones from Guided By Voices, The Replacements and Steely Dan to Pavement, Ted Leo and Built to Spill. And this diversity perhaps isn’t surprising considering the band have three songwriters—Brock Ginther, Alex Merrill and Galen Richmond—all of whom combine whipsmart humour with unpretentious emotion, the vocals moving from a Malkmus-style blasé drawl to punky yelps and growls.
Later this winter, Lemon Pitch are due to release Threat of Weather, a brand new record via Repeating Cloud, and in anticipation have shared lead single ‘California Commando’. A song which lasts barely two minutes but offers unequivocal evidence that the band have lost none of their unpredictable energy. Written by Ginther, it starts bright yet relatively sedate, gathering momentum as it progresses with the Lemon Pitch signature messy guitar work and rousing vocals. There’s a genuine sense of fun and catharsis, offering a timely reminder of the power of a group of friends getting together to have a great time and make a lot of noise.
