Squeeze The Day: Girlhood introduce new era with ‘Lemon Aid’
2 d
Newsdesk
In a sea of familiar genres, polished production, and melodies that can sometimes blur into one another, pop has felt increasingly predictable over the last few years. So, stumbling across something organic, simple, and genuinely refreshing feels a little like discovering a hidden treasure.
That’s exactly how I felt when I came across Girlhood, the reformed indie duo turning the mundanity of everyday life into sweet, sun-kissed nostalgia with their brand-new single, ‘Lemon Aid.’
Unfolding over a jaunty, old-school soul sample, the track warms into an effortless ballad that feels tailor-made for a curated end-of-summer playlist, blaring from the speakers of an artsy coffee shop, or soundtracking a quintessential British romcom from the early 2000s. With its wistful melodies, understated charm, and lyrics that convince you to find beauty in simple living, it’s the perfect introduction to their assured new era and their upcoming album, ‘This Will All Make Sense In The End.’
Consisting of Natalie Holmes and Christian Pinchbeck, the pair revived Girlhood - who have long been praised for their cinematic sound - and breathed new life into it, ensuring a partnership that was inevitable. After witnessing Holmes perform, Pinchbeck was drawn to the unique vocals that give ‘Lemon Aid’ its pure feel and distinctive nature, and they soon began collaborating on songs that capture the clarity of moving away from the chaos of the city and into the peace of your thirties - the leafy town of Stroud in the Cotswolds, to really set the scene.
‘Lemon Aid’ is a gorgeous introduction to this beautiful yet ordinary world, submerged in a playful sound you can only really compare to other whimsical, electronic-based quirky pop acts that have shaped that wonderfully effortless feel, from the laid-back imagery and sample-based sound of Saint Etienne to the more acoustic, natural warmth and gentle melodic focus of bands like Camera Obscura.
Yet here, they’ve created something that equally feels fresh, new and easy-going, and most of all, a complete joy to listen to - just like the first sip of a cool iced lemonade on a scorching summer day in southern England.
Whether it inspires you to enjoy the heat on your back as you put the washing out, kick your feet up for an afternoon of shameless daytime TV, or escape into the Great British countryside to leave your worries behind for a while, ‘Lemon Aid’ is exactly what it sounds like - bubbly, fun, undeniably sweet, and simply a taste of what’s to come from this sunny new beginning for Girlhood.
