By Joe Vickrey
During this summer’s Velour Battle of the Bands, I serendipitously judged the night The Penny Candies were playing. As the venue staff began setting up mics for violin, trumpet, and bass clarinet, my interest was piqued. Having been in high school during the 2010’s stomp and holler revival, folk holds a special place in my heart, and The Penny Candies swept me off my feet with their set. In fact, I vividly remember texting Provo Music Magazine’s editor to ask if I could review their album while they were still playing.
The album starts with “Sour Patch Kid,” which fondly reminisces on the freedoms of childhood. As I heard the lyric, “You were my first love.” I thought, “What a cute song about childhood crushes,” but it continues, “You were my first love… Penny candy,” and I got goosebumps. The clever lead-up to celebrate the cheap sugars only kids really enjoy – suddenly it all clicked for me; this is a band named after the simple joys of youth. This additional context for the opening track sets the stage beautifully for the rest of the collection.
“Who Am I?” was another standout track for me with its simple, yet triumphant header containing ukulele, violin and trumpet which had me feeling like I was back in time hearing “Elephant Gun” by Beirut for the first time. One of the group’s biggest strengths is their ability to vary instrumentations and arrangements within the genre. If every song had trumpet melodies, chugging acoustic guitars, and snare train beats it just wouldn’t be as magical, but each element has its moment to shine and none of them overstay their welcome.
From the almost a cappella “Peter Pan” – which centers around a small, knocking percussion part – to the dramatic piano and viola led “Don’t Give Up,” Lemon could easily be heard as the soundtrack to a folklore play in the best possible way.
Diving deeper down the foxhole, “The Fox” does a great job of sounding playfully eerie like a sleepover scary story. It’s catchy, fun, and paints a vivid tale of mystery surrounding a fox who wants to snatch up people and treasure. This track is the album’s biggest moment for me because of how big the dynamic swing on it is. The climax of the track feels explosive, and it’s moments like this I would love to hear more of on their future releases. (It’s also worth noting that “The Fox” sounds infinitely scarier when you have a phobia of mascots and a costumed fox person prances through the crowd handing out candy while they play it live. As I sweat through my shirt, it completely shattered any inner illusion I had of being cool… but what a way to worldbuild.)
I heard someone in the PMM crew say that The Penny Candies would be a great recommendation for anyone who loves Little Moon, and while I completely agree, I think it’s worth clarifying for readers that The Penny Candies give a bit more cottage-core vibes compared to some of the more ethereal soundscapes of Little Moon. Both are incredible artists, but neither should be seen as derivative!
One of the prominent emotions I hear in Lemon is what I could only describe as wholesome romance. “The Apple of My Eye” is the best example of that with its Spanish influenced guitar melodies, and a swelling string section. It conjures images of candlelit ballroom dancing and moonlit, seaside mansions that’s fit for the silver screen.
The album ends right it where it began for me: with goosebumps. While normally I wince at songs that contain positive affirmations and encouraging messages, I absolutely adore “Start Again.” It feels genuine and down to earth. The lyric that stuck with me the most from the album was, “This time I’m not starting from scratch/I’m starting from experience.” The purity of its hope felt like it softened even my goblin heart.
The Penny Candies’ lighthearted and optimistic view on the world feels as refreshing as the first 30 minutes of the yearly hike my wife takes me on. Lemon is the soundtrack of adolescent adventure and navigating through a world that’s friendlier than the one on we see on the news. Thank you, The Penny Candies for both an album and a live performance worthy of praise.