Lime Cordiale released their second studio LP '14 Steps To A Better You' on 10th July via Chugg Music and London Cowboys.
Photo Credit: Jack Shepherd
'14 Steps To A Better You' is a navigation device for those who got lost. Featuring a string of outstanding hook laden singles including ‘Dirt Cheap’, ‘Money’, ‘Robbery’, ‘Inappropriate Behaviour’, ‘Addicted To The Sunshine’ and ‘On Our Own’, the album title is a parody of self-help books and its songs represent “lessons” on how to be your best self.
Packed with incisive commentary about their mates, lovers and the world at large it represents how far they’ve come, both sonically and personally.
The Lowdown caught up with the duo to chat about their single 'Screw Loose' and album, influences, and their upcoming European tour...
Nice to meet you guys, how’s it going?
"It’s going well. It’s a strange year but a lot of exciting things are happening too. A lot of changes."
We’re loving the funky vibe on your latest release ‘Screw Loose’ - what’s the story behind the track?
"It all came about incredibly organically. We never really intended for this song to be released, let alone a single. We had a screw loose during the whole writing and recording process. Just laughed and fun making a song that was purely for ourselves. The writing started with a dubby drum loop and that skanky guitar which we just found hilarious."
You originate from Australia, is your music heavily influenced by the country or any other Aussie artists?
"It’s influenced by our surroundings. From nature to venues. We recorded a lot of this album at a farm in Northern NSW. You can hear birds, rain and windchimes all over it. I don’t see why so many Australians try and sound like they’re from the US. Australians grow up with surroundings like no where else."
You’ve grown up together as brothers and been on this incredible musical journey getting to where you are now. Do you have any particular highlights so far?
"Everything - achievement or event that happens excites us. Overseas tours are huge highlights. To be able to play music to people outside of your own city, let alone the other side of the world, is something we’ll never get over. The release day of each of our full length albums is such a strange time. You work so hard on these songs that no one’s ever heard before, you overthink them, hate them, love them… and then suddenly it’s out there in the world for everyone to hear."
Your new album, '14 Steps To A Better You', the follow up to your debut album, has now been released. How do you prepare for putting an album out into the world, and what do you look for when choosing which tracks make the cut?
"We’re constantly writing. So our albums are made up of experiences we’ve had since the previous release. We gather all of the demos we’ve written and put them into folders. Sometimes we go back and work a little more on some of these tracks to give them a bit more life, then we start culling. We had about 200 demos to choose from with '14 Steps'. Some demos were quite polished, others were glamorised voice memos. With the stand out songs, a theme inevitably starts to present itself. Recognising the theme then affects the way we edit and add lyrics to these songs. Maybe we’ll have a completely different approach with the new album. We don’t have a set way of working… but it seems to work for us!"
Do you each have a personal favourite track?
"It’s hard to have a favourite. I love the more undiscovered tracks. The new ones on the album that people haven’t listened to as much. I love the way 'Elephant In The Room' plods along a big fat elephant. 'I Can’t Take All The Blame' is like a message Louis has left on someone’s answering machine. They’re my two favourites at the moment."
You’re heading to Europe to play some live shows (fingers crossed) in November/December. Why should we grab a ticket? Sell it to us .. not that we need much convincing!
"We’re so excited to be in Europe. It’s such an amazing experience for us that the shows tend to get more wild and energetic. Playing smaller shows than we play in Australia changes things too. We’re suddenly in an intimate environment and have a more personal relationship with our audiences which we miss with big Australian shows. We’ll probably see you at the bar!"
With over 100 million streams combined and high rotation playlisting on triple j and a staggering four songs under 40 in the Hottest 100 of 2019, 14 Steps To A Better You is set to be one of the year’s most beloved albums.
Listen to '14 Steps To A Better You' HERE Instagram: @limecordiale