Lemondrop
Lemondrop is simply an alt-rock gem. The four-piece band has been around for only a couple of years, releasing 7 songs during this time. Their sound is full of feeling, reminiscent of 2000’s rock with a distinct indie/alternative spin. Songs like “Strawberry Wine” and “Eye Candy” are the perfect examples of this. Besides them being the group’s most recent releases, the songs demonstrate the group’s journey in finding their sound. Over the past year and a half, Lemondrop has garnered a significant fanbase. 16k monthly listeners and over 300 thousand Spotify streams are just a fraction of their recent critical acclaim. With more music on the way, it’s clear that the group has much more to offer. We recently spoke with the group about their origin story, favorite pastimes, and more!
How did you start making music?
Each of us have been playing music individually basically our whole lives-- I (Joni) personally started playing drums because I was in love with Alex Wolff from the Naked Brothers Band as a kid. I quickly realized I was a lot better at bass than drums, though. I started writing seriously in high school because of my freshman year poetry unit. We all met by chance in college after the original lineup of my band fell through. Dave and I matched on tinder, Max and I sat by each other in math class, and Brandon is Dave’s roommate that he met because they were both transfer students the same year. Shortly after deciding we wanted to be a band, I submitted a couple songs to Belmont University’s rock showcase, and we ended up not only getting into the showcase but winning. That kind of solidified that we had to be a band, and it’s been nothing but fun since!
Besides writing music, what’s something you like to do in your spare time?
I (Joni) love reading tarot cards, journaling, thinking about the moon, and forming unrequited crushes on people who would never reciprocate. I’ve also been fully ingrained back into my Twilight phase because of quarantine, and really love managing Lemondrop. Dave is weirdly good at golfing, and loves film photography and video editing. He also frequently dreams about owning a dog. Max is really into sports so he watches a lot of baseball and hockey and is currently trying to craft the perfect burger. Brandon plays a lot of Words With Friends and knows basically everything about wrestling. All the boys play a lot of rocket league and spend time with their girlfriends. We all individually enjoy going to Target alone and buying socks.
What was the inspiration behind your latest release, “Stay”?
I had the amazing opportunity to study in New York City for a semester my junior year. This was after Lemondrop had already developed a little bit of a following, so I was really nervous to take a semester off and go. While I loved the city and my internship and the people I met up there, something I didn’t expect was how lonely it was AND how stressful it can be for someone who is introverted, living in a dorm with two other people, and commuting exclusively via subway. I felt like my life in Nashville was on hold, but that I couldn’t form any meaningful relationships or get too comfortable in NY because I’d be leaving soon. I didn’t like where I was, but I didn’t have any energy to change-- or even know how to. “Stay” is about me sulking in sadness, running away from my problems, looking for a way out, and acts as a goodbye letter to the guy I was dating up there that I accidentally ghosted.
What’s your dream venue to play?
The Ryman in Nashville 100%
If you could open a show for any artist, who would it be?
Oooh this is a hard one because we all have such different music tastes. The Black Keys. Neon Trees. DREAMERS. The Head and the Heart.
Who’s your partner in a dream collaboration?
I’m going to say Tyler Glenn, the frontman of Neon Trees. I’ve always said that the moment I collaborate with him professionally, I will know I’ve made it. I think any song he and I write together would be full of gay longing, complicated emotions, and coming-of-age-movie-esq imagery, and I WANT it. Dave’s dream collab is Conan Gray, Max’s is Dan Auerbach, and Lemondrop’s as a whole is Briston Maroney.
What’s next for you?
The future is obviously super convoluted for a lot of musicians, but we’re releasing an EP on August 21 that has both Stay and Strawberry Wine on it. After it comes out, we’re going to play a couple live stream shows, release a music video, and try our best to make one of our songs trend on Tiktok. We’re on the edge of our seats waiting for live music to come back because we’ve made friends with so many bands online (shoutout to Bleach and Fox Royale) that we want to tour and play shows with.
