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The experience of listening to ‘hunting what we already killed’ is instantly reminiscent of Coraline’s tunnel - a deep violet ribbed with 11 mystical tracks. The sophomore album by Dev Lemons is vibrant and ever-spiralling - resisting genre-confinement as it draws listeners through a whirlpool of art, irony, and theatrics. A NY-based creative, Lemons has a past as winding and nonsensical as the tunnel itself - from posting absurdist ‘scary short films’ to partaking in a musical comedy group. On this album, her wide-spanning web of influences culminates in a playfully unsettled and dizzying sonic journey.
‘only one way to know’ announces the album with airy, light drums that glow in a bossa-nova-esque charm. On this track, and the following (‘in the middle of the night’), Lemons proves she can seemingly effortlessly produce a catchy, no-notes track. For all the record’s later, almost impish dances, it’s impossible to overlook her raw musical understanding. As a self-taught music theorist, Lemons often posts her talent online - from a series attempting to recreate songs on muted software to sillier, satirical original songs. Yet, ‘hunting what we already killed’ channels her fine-needled literacy into a more earnest project - listeners lucky to witness the master play with her puppets. In the background of the album’s first act, the sound of indiscernible sound effects is the construction of that highly conceptual, avant-garde world we’re about to be unknowingly drawn into.
Perhaps the record’s glowing core is the flighty balance of melancholy lyrics with forays into rock, and Lemons’ trademarked manic mischief. On ‘let you’, she sings in heartbreakingly larger-than-life images; “I’d move the moon for you / I’d crawl inside and drive it anywhere”. But as the album tumbles further into wounded anger and hurt, ‘eat the pavement’ delivers anguish with a wink at the audience. One of the most characterised tracks is littered with tongue-in-cheek lines: “I’ll make you eat the pavement”, “Suck it, I’m throwing all your flowers in a bucket”.
Similarly, ‘easy for you’ continues downward spiraling - notes that twang and tangle up into a lullaby. Her intense world-building is a dizzying equilibrium of eerie enchantment. It’s a well-rehearsed delve into the off-putting, one Lemons often adorns with theatrical wigs and spidery lashes atop clownish, pale makeup. When not in unexpected and inexplicable drag, she further accompanies her songs with gimmicky videos - where tender lyrics like “Bitter in your blue, miserable mood / Wallow alone cause it’s all you do” are delivered via nonsensical homage to early Photoshop.
However, it’s not all heightened mania and uncanny imagery - with one of her record’s greatest elements being Lemons’ vocals. At times, they’re wistful, lost in themselves - and echo soft stylisation pioneered particularly by European electronic artists, like Oklou and Becky And The Birds. Their influence shines on ‘i never wanted to hurt u (interlude)’ - a track so understated it becomes a standout, looping vocal chops that wither into malaise. Elsewhere, they become thick with sticky emotion when ‘pace’s layering sees an amalgamation of lo-fi and shoegaze. It’s a masterful dilution of the record’s more frantic theatrics - highlighted by ‘what happened to you’'s waterlogged, lethargic outro. As Lemons sings of avoidant love, her words become increasingly lost in distortion. It’s on this track she all too aptly captures the cinematic, conceptualised experience of listening to this album: “I wanna live in your brain / Hanging onto the weights in the deep end”.
Amidst this deep end, ‘best friend’ is particularly striking, with its dynamic waxing and waning - a perfect single to encapsulate the album’s entirety. Lemons plays with volume so well, constantly threading webs and ceilings just to break through and prove she can elevate a song further. Though this pattern doesn’t wear out, interwoven with unique moments; ‘what happened to you’ offers a change in rhythm with a glittering, 80s-infused riff. In stark contrast, ‘another word you say’ opens as a more typical, alt-rock composition before suddenly bursting into screamo metal. Harsh and driving before plunging into a pulsing breakdown, it’s a genuine feat that this particular track exists on the same plane as the album’s softer songs. Lemons’ ability to compose such spiralling, diverse multiplicity is a diamond in the rough among sophomore records.
This one ends in ‘ice the bruise’, with the album closing on the stage Lemons set - rejecting any set genre or expectations. Sung atop melancholy piano, as if a lullaby, she continues to lash out - particularly Coraline-esque in “Forever pouting around / Wish I could sew up your mouth / Forever drown you out”. As flighty frenzy drives out, we can appreciate the album for what it really is. “You sing the lullabies / I let you ice the bruise / Why won’t you take a bite / Of your own rotten fruit?” Adorned with ranging melodies and impish charm, ‘hunting what we killed’ is pure creation from catastrophe - the biting hunt of someone scorned.
Evie Johnson
Image: ‘hunting what we already killed’ Official Album Cover
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