Track Review: As Long As We're Together // The Lemon Twigs

Teen brothers Brian (19) and Michael (17) D’Addario, hailing from Long Island, NY have been in a romance with music since birth. As kids, their favourite toys were their father’s guitar, drum-kit and 8-track recorder. From those early influences, The Lemon Twigs would grow.

The Wunderkid’s iridescent talent was plucked up by 4AD, who released their debut album, Go Hollywood. Jonathan Rado of Foxygen produced and recorded it in his living room and claimed that “there’s nothing they can’t do”.

The video for the boys’ previous single, ‘These Words’, was inspired by the movie Amadeus; the debonair decadence of the visuals carry the film’s essence. ‘As Long As We’re Together’ seems to reinforce The Lemon Twigs’ intrigue with filmic performance, as it’s hallucinogenic nuances recall the cult-classic Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Director Autumn de Wilde stated that he had a vision of a “colourful apocalyptic barren universe” for the video, so it’s no surprise that familiar scenes of narcotic adventures are conjured when we see an expanse of golden dessert and yellow-tinted aviators. However, The Lemon Twigs’ effervescent glam-baroque doesn’t drive us into bat

country.

Clad in trashy satin entendres, the brothers kick and split jump to the sounds of ‘As Long As We’re Together’. Moments of quietly stripped-back, twinkling harmonies fly into an uplifting timbre, celebrating the one who inspired such an innocently sweet lo-fi love-song. Matching disco pants compliment a French-disko interlude; showcasing the pair’s aptness for combining Dylan-esque guitars and melodies worthy of McCartney into instrumental candour. Influences aside, The Lemon Twigs are bringing some fresh zest to the table. The track’s fuzzy riffs, doo-wop drum beats and vintage synthesizers sound almost novelty when translated into this digital age. Vaudevillian extravagance is made current through their androgynous make-up statements – these boys are definitely in touch with the times. The Lemon Twigs are not living in the wrong decade; they’re reminding us of the ingredients that cook up a good song. Even Elton John professed his excitement for The Lemon Twigs by predicting that they had “a bright future” in store.

Taking inspiration from an iconic musical era and using it to rejuvenate today’s electronic age: “I don’t see what’s wrong with that.”

Words by Alicia Carpenter

First published on Subcultureldn Blog: http://subcultureldn.co.uk/the-lemon-twigs-share-as-long-as-were-together/