Album Review: Orchards – 'Lovecore'

Orchards - 2019 01 - MAIN PRESS SHOT - Please credit Jessie Morgan.jpg

Hook-heavy Math-Rockers Orchards are releasing their debut album ‘Lovecore’ – a collection of songs addressing important issues that see the four-piece standing up for their beliefs and fighting for good. 

Main focus of Orchards’ music is lead singer Lucy’s powerfully poetic songwriting that, in each of ‘Lovecore’’s 11 tracks, hits a nerve. Whether she’s talking about loss, mental health, relationships or the state of the environment, Lucy is not afraid to speak her mind and refuses to be silenced by anyone or anything. The result are empowering tracks like ‘Girlfriend’ that speaks up about toxic relationships and the importance of self-love “Don’t make me accountable for your fragile ego, it’s not the way we grow pretending your actions are okay […] I could be your girlfriend, but I’m already committed to me”.

Sonically, ‘Lovecore’ thrills with crisp guitars and killer melodies that knock you dead with sharp wit and a confidence that might well be contagious. There isn’t a single song that doesn’t have at least one “throw-your-fist-into-the air-in-excitement” moment; fresh rhythms and anthemic hooks catapult the album into hard-to-resist math-pop spheres while Lucy’s powerful vocals keep it grounded in very earthly realities. 

Stand-out track on the album is – without a doubt – spoken word interlude ‘Social Sobriety’ that sees Lucy vocalising her experience of living in a time of social media where everyone wants to be noticed but seems too afraid to be seen for who truly they are: “Much too preoccupied trying to appear perfect to enjoy the beauty around you. Announcing love for […] someone else’s creation when you could create something from your own weight and reveal your inner magic at the cost of being vulnerable.”

Orchards are refreshingly different; they may not have invented the wheel, but they’ve certainly greased the chain. It’s an absolute joy to see a band unapologetically stand up and fight for a cause. With ‘Lovecore’ they have made an impressively clever debut that sets them apart as a band to look out for in the years to come.

Words by Laura Freyaldenhoven