OLI and LOUIS LEIMBACH of LIME CORDIALE: Being The Best You
An interview by Bridie Chetwin-Kelly.
It’s indisputable that Lime Cordiale is on the precipice of making it to the big time. With hundreds and thousands of views on Youtube, over a million streams on Spotify, and a co-sign from Post Malone, the release of their new album marks a big step forwards for the Australian based brother duo.
Speaking from their Sydney home Oli and Louis Leimbach recall how they recently were forced to return home to Australia during their tour of the States with fellow Aussie, Tones and I.
“We thought that America was being dramatic about the COVID stuff and we were trying to stay there as long as possible, but our parents were calling us telling us to get home, the Prime Minister was asking Aussies to come home so we had to go, just as LA was shutting down, we really got out of there just in time.”
Made mostly in the middle of nowhere or whilst touring, 14 Steps To A Better You, is a name based on self-help tapes and the idea that they can be opinionated and contradictory at the same time, it’s about not taking one person’s advice so seriously, especially not Lime Cordiale’s.
“We did it out on a family friend’s farm. We’ve been going there for so long, we had a lot of experiences there growing up and we just feel so relaxed there. It has no reception, we find even one text message can throw us off course, so we like to go off-grid during the album process.”
Working with David Haddad, a kiwi from Hamilton who now lives in Sydney, proved fruitful for the duo too, his way of working pushed them creatively and even saw them getting a kazoo solo on the song ‘No plans to make plans’.
“We had the kazoo solo in originally because it was just sitting next to David and it was meant to be a place holder for a trombone – we never said it would be a kazoo solo.” Louis, however, is adamant that he will be playing one on stage.
That is truly representative of who David is as a producer, nothing is too outrageous, nothing gets a no from him and often takes the quirky parts and makes them quirkier. This is what the pair said they really needed from their follow up album.
“We went into this with more confidence, a strong relationship and we just weren’t worried. We could be experimental with David and picture what we really wanted to do. He doesn’t change you, he molds to you instead.”
The album was delayed a bit – they had to work through the music they had been sitting with for a while, each song uniquely on its own, and in the end they created an album where no one song sounds the same. Different from their first albums where they listened to other artists, this time they wanted to do it alone, no listening to other music and just fully trusting their gut and confidence in how they played.
“We didn’t want to be influenced, we just went for things and decided we liked it. We were like distorting the drums, trying to get these sounds out as much as possible.”
Like in Screw Loose, a song originally that was started in the states late one night, “Louis was playing this random dubby drum and then I started playing this skanky wah guitar and it was a joke that just kept going, there’s even a kookaburra halfway through it.”
The brother’s path to making music together started at a young age when their parents forced them to play classical instruments and duet together. Oli then went on to play in punk bands, Louis joined with no interest in playing live on a stage. But as soon as Louis started playing live, he was bitten by the bug.
After touring for four years the duo is itching to get back out there so they are playing four sold-out dates at Sydney’s intimate Oxford Art Factory, all with two shows a night. And next, a whole New Zealand tour up their sleeve for September, fingers crossed.
Lime Cordiale release their new album ’14 Steps To A Better You’ today! You can purchase physical media from the Lime Cordiale Website, and is available to stream from your favourite streaming service.
Image Credits: Feature Image by Aedán-ODonnell. Live image by Sarah Kidd.
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