PREMIERE | Quilts, "Lemon Juice"

Once in while a sound, a style, a look, a creative statement of time, place and more catches you off guard. A curious craft that emerges out of the blue that makes you feel connected, that makes you feel whole again. From the economies of minimalism to the resonance of the message; occasionally an organic aesthetic arrives that becomes an object of obsession and endearment. Something that sparks outside the rushing roar of life’s enormous and overwhelming tributaries and seemingly infinite interstates that makes you feel that someone out there cares. That someone out there is going through the same thing you have been through and/or might be currently going through. Someone that has made a work of art that you have been searching for all your life.

Bridging the gulf between abstractions and relatability are Seattle band Quilts, announcing their debut album Rocky’s Ranch with a first listen to the warm and lavish visual single “Lemon Juice”. Accompanied by animation from Halfshell Records boss Daniel Onufer, Quilts are essentially Luke Webster and Kenaniah Bystrom who discovered their own kismet connection over a bond of having the same quilted blankets from their youth. On the heels of their Alien Wilderness EP that arrived in late 2019, the onset of the 2020 quarantine found the two developing the demos and sketches for their upcoming aforementioned full-length on the Olympic Peninsula at Luke’s Aunt Rocky’s home where they honed in on a visceral sound full of earnest emotion and vulnerable heart. Discovering the simple joys in delicacies like pancakes and burritos, Quilts struck upon the very aura and essence of their aesthetic. A sound that hums and shines without pretense or braggadocio boasts but finds a center and grounding in the earth that gives all things life.

"Lemon Juice" strums graciously with that sleepy eyed and saudade style of solitude that haunts in a paranormal fashion. The sparse chords, calm rhythms and candid vocals rock back and forth in a windswept sway like a wooden rocking chair, recalling DIY giants of the past and bedroom pop bards of yore. But beyond comparative recollections and referential recognitions; Quilts have embarked upon something that is incredibly unique and arguably monumental. "Lemon Juice" as a track moves from the mundane pangs of sleepy fatigue, slowly rising to meet the day, musing over the shadowboxing struggles of mental health and pondering penning a communicative note to a loved one. As the song indulges in subtle atmospheric tones, the audience feels as if they are fully swept up into the daydream realm of Quilts as Luke and Niah reveal the clandestine secrets of dreams — and perhaps even the meaning of life. "Lemon Juice" is an ode to decoding life's mysteries, while grappling with the gravity and ennui of the human condition that works toward revelations of perception and being through natural means and holistic motifs. The PNW band instills the entirety of our senses with the feelings of fascination, unraveling the aches and pains of the mortal coil in pursuit of a pagan echelon of enlightenment.

The animated visual from Daniel Onufer brings "Lemon Juice" to new creative heights full of magical charm. We watch a koala bear descending from an azure sky full of fluffy clouds to a grassy earth of leafy plants and flowers. The koala protagonist shoots an arrow at a lemon sun that sees the citrus solar entity plop atop of a bear statue that then cues little storm clouds, transforming that lemon half into a toadstool, while a beanstalk vine is tended to that reaches upward towards the heavens. Surrealism permeates the cartoon visual, as the end of the vine reveals to be the green form of a serpent while our laissez-faire koala hero remains steadfast in dreamland. The stalk proves to be fruitful and floral, where we see lemons sprout from its stems as it continues its ascent upwards into the stratosphere. Converging into the great cumulus upper echelon of the friendly skies, our koala friend remains steadfast in their dream world floating gently on the bed of a hovering cloud as the succinct two minute song concludes with a blissful feeling of intrigue and enchantment.

Quilts’ own Luke Webster and Kenaniah Bystrom provided some insights on “Lemon Juice” and their forthcoming debut full-length Rocky’s Ranch:

“Lemon Juice” was the first song that we recorded off our debut album Rocky’s Ranch and examines the nostalgia that often accompanies grief — the repetition of the chords is almost like lined paper that allows the singer to deliver a collage of vague memories that are reminiscent of a last embrace, or a promise that was left unsaid, but if you hold it up to the light you might see what they meant.

Animator / Halfshell Records imprint founder/operator Daniel Onufer shared the following on creating the visuals for “Lemon Juice”:

While creating this animation, I thought about how oddly common it is to find moments of stillness within this constantly buzzing world. These changes and stillness are felt differently by all according to one's position in the world. They are also constantly evolving with the passage of time no matter how fixed they want to be. For me it was about showing those bitter or sweet pauses and gently moving them through to a new context where they felt rebalanced and transformed.

Quilts’ upcoming album debut Rocky’s Ranch will be available soon, listen to more via Bandcamp.