Postmix Lemonade – Guess I’m Alright
released 22 April 2012
Postmix Lemonade is:
Lewis Mayo - Guitar & Vox. organ
Dom Webb - Bass & Backing Vox.
James Wadsworth - Drums & Backing Vox.
Matt Upchuck – Additional guitar on Downtown & mr mirror. Piano on That girl
With their name taken from the lyrics of ‘Suck It and See’ by Arctic Monkeys you can guess that Postmix Lemonades debut EP will have a predominantly English rock/indie sound. However, with the exception of ‘Superstition, it seems their influences are drawn more from bands such as The Kinks and anything Paul Weller has ever done, than from groups that have regularly graced the cover of NME in recent years.
The three piece from Bournemouth kick off their ‘Guess I’m Alright’ EP with ‘70s Cop’ which merrily bounces along thanks to Dom providing the bass line instead of his usual heavy handed drumming. Definitely a grower, it took a few listens to fully appreciate the track, but persevere with it because if the band arranges a few gigs this should be a good live song.
‘Downtown’ follows and is Postmix’s most Arctic Monkeys style track in musical style and lyrical content. The shortest song here, clocking in at under 3 minutes, this should also see a few people dancing around to its jangly guitar riff, nice understated solo and the good work between bass and drums in the verses. Think of the quality tunes the aforementioned Sheffield band put on their relatively fanfare free EP’s and you should have a good idea what this song sounds like.
The most upbeat song on ‘Guess I’m Alright’ is ‘That Girl’ which has what could be called a ‘Liverpool’ sound in that it could be compared to both The La’s and The Coral. The backing vocals add a nice extra layer, the guitar solo’s fit perfectly and by the end of the song you can tell the band were really enjoying themselves here.
Track 4 is the aforementioned ‘Superstition’ which, unlike the other songs Postmix have recorded, deviates from their usual genial sound and is a heavier offering with the chorus clattering along in contrast to the fairly sedate verses. A good song but what follows next really trumps it.
The band slow things down on ‘It’s Not A Case Of Not Loving You’ and the results are fantastic. The song is the simplest one on the EP, just an acoustic guitar, an unassuming bass line and a nice little bit of organ in the background to go with the vocals. However, I would say this is the standout song here. Lewis’ voice and lyrics suit the track perfectly and seem especially heartfelt. The song brings about memories of standing in a field at a festival when the band you are watching strip things right down and what follows is a mass sing-a-long by the crowd. A great song for the summer.
Mr Mirror finishes things off in Weller-esque style and ends the record on a high point. This is one of the rockier songs on offer with a distorted bass line and some excellent guitar work culminating in a wailing solo as a finale.
For fans of all the bands I have mentioned above, and British indie bands in general, you should get download yourself a free copy of this EP (at the Bandcamp link below) as one of the biggest compliments I could say about this is that it would make a quality soundtrack to a Saturday night out.