Traveling to new dimensions is certainly an appealing prospect, but sometimes, the most poignant experiences in life are the ones that happen every day. Walking through the city at night. Staring at billowing clouds on your desktop. Lazily floating in a pool alone. Transcendence can be achieved through limited means, something it’s taken Lemonade years to realize, during which time the Brooklyn-based trio of Callan Clendenin, Ben Steidel and Alex Pasternak has managed to move across the country and completely reinvent its sound. Formed in San Francisco, Lemonade initially crafted visceral, psychedelic and vaguely tropical rave journeys that touched upon dozens of the group’s influences without sounding particularly like any of them. Early shows offered otherworldy, mind-bending experiences that drew a loyal MDMA-crazed local following. The phenomenon only intensified after the release of the band’s self-titled début LP in 2008 and subsequent move to New York. That mostly improvised ecstatic collection of agile hedonistic pop music earned praise from the indie and dance communities alike. 2010 saw the band’s second release, "Pure moods", an effort by Lemonade to steer their schizophrenic palate through pop waters. The record was an important stepping stone for a group that was only beginning to discover the emotional potency of out-and-out pop songwriting. Now, more than two years later, that transformation is complete. "Softkiss" is the second single from their latest album, "Diver", which swims ecstatically in every thing from the melodies of early 90s R&B, UK 2-step Garage, Balearic house and NY freestyle to 80s pop-rock nostalgia, wispy new age, boy-band innocence, and synth-driven Euro-trance. "Diver" also contains some of most easily digestible music Lemonade has ever produced, yet it is anything but shallow. Callan Clendenin’s lyrics now look inward, to his attempts to hold on to redemptive love and romance in a cybernetic information-rich world. Perhaps the album’s most personal track, "Softkiss" closes it with what sounds like an updated boy-band anthem full of ringing chords and lovelorn lyrics. It’s a far cry from the cacophony that once dominated Lemonade’s discography, yet infinitely more powerful. The video was directed by David Franklin.
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