Lemoncello are like two halves of a whole. Laura Quirke and Claire Kinsella met in University, and bonded over their mutual love of close harmony and vulnerability in songwriting. Kinsella is an intensely proficient cello player, while Quirke's voice has grown into its own character over time. Together, they have a stunning blend. It would be easy to write off Lemoncello as just another Irish folk duo. After all, the country is teeming with them. But it would also be too dismissive. Their new single "Libra," which exists in the grey areas between dark and light, shows that Lemoncello are a force to be reckoned with.
Lemoncello's pagan circus was directed by Irish music documentarian Myles O'Reilly (Arbutus Yarns), and created with the Footsbarn Theatre Company in France. "They have a rehearsal studio in a little place called 'Hérisson', which means 'hedgehog'. We just sat around a table drinking wine, eating really nice food, and talking about the symbolism in the song," says Quirke. "The next day, we all went in together, and actually improvised a lot of it."
In "Libra," an intense pageantry follows Quirke and Kinsella as they play opposite sides of the same person, surrounded by knavish, demonic obstacles and memories. Quirke's vocal is full of a different kind of dichotomy, in turns icy and full of warmth, fragile and unbreakable.
This is a difficult time for artists. While "Libra" is on Youtube for your unlimited streaming pleasure, please consider purchasing Lemoncello's Oil and Water EP, due for release tomorrow (March 20th), on Bandcamp. As a bonus, for 24 hours tomorrow, Bandcamp will be waiving all revenue shares in order for artists to reap 100% of the financial benefit.
