This one hits like finding an unexpectedly perfect strawberry in a punnet full of slightly squashed ones. Lemon, the Dutch outfit featuring Mark ‘Bong The Bass’ Bongers, Paul Hesen, Ralf Hesen, and Thomas Gense, lob “Gimme Something True” into the fray, and it lands with a bright, almost demanding, splash. It’s got that sun-drenched, baggy strut of Madchester about it, doesn’t it? A psychedelic swirl woven into an electrifying pop-rock frame. You can almost feel the sticky floor of a club vibrating underfoot.
But hang on. Underneath the euphoric groove, there’s a raw nerve being touched. The whole thing pleads, rather urgently, for vulnerability. Give something real to get something real back. You can’t just stand there, emotionally mute, expecting the universe – or another person – to shower you with meaning. It insists, quite rightly, that participation trophies don’t exist in the heart’s economy. Invest or get nothing. Simple. Brutal, maybe? But honest.
It’s the kind of sonic energy that, for a fleeting second, reminds me of the baffling iridescent sheen you sometimes see on spilled petrol in a puddle after a quick rain shower. Something mundane suddenly refracting unexpected colour. This track has that – a straightforward demand shimmering with complex emotional undercurrents. The male vocals carry this plea without melodrama, grounding the psychedelic flights in a relatable insistence.
The rhythm section, that bass and drum combo, provides a solid, celebratory pulse, while the guitars and keys add layers of colour and movement. It’s a call to drop the pretence, to offer up something substantial, something felt. It doesn’t just shuffle past; it grabs you by the lapels, all sunshine and seriousness.
Leaves you wondering, doesn’t it? What am I holding back?
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