For those who don’t know Let’s Eat Grandma are 16 and 17 year old friends from Norwich. They started making music when they were just 13, a couple of those very early songs appear here. Since gaining attention with the song Shitake Mushrooms the friends have become darlings of the indie music scene and it’s easy to see why they are exceptionally talented young musicians, twee as hell and just a bit weird.
The first thing to say is of course lyrically things on I Gemini are not as strong as a more rounded song writer would produce. However, Let’s Eat Grandma will grow in this sense and the innocence on display here on songs like Chocolate Sludge Cake can be refreshing especially in these dark right-wing political times.
Style wise I Gemini is a bit of a grab bag with echoes of indie pop, house, electro, psych rock and punk all on show. This is perhaps a reflection of millennial listening habits – digital music has resulted in everyone having a very varied Itunes library- and Let’s Eat Grandma are certainly a product of this. Despite all of the various genres on display here it is a credit to both these young musicians that the album does not feel patchy but rather feels like a full and fun whole.
Let’s Eat Grandma often position their innocent lyrics alongside a darker musical sound and this juxtaposed style creates something which is both engaging and often creepy as hell. This creepiness is most apparent on tracks like Sleep Song where the duo sound almost inspired by Jethro Tull or the occult.
Even more impressive is the sheer number of instruments played, drums, guitars, pianos, recorders, electronics and more besides. To have a command of so many instruments at such a young age puts the Let’s Eat Grandma due firmly in the field or virtuosos.
As noted there are areas for development in I,Gemini but in releasing such an impressive, expansive and weird debut Let’s Eat Grandma have proved that their future is one to look forward to. Alongside Hinds, Let’s Eat Grandma have created one of the freshest sounding and most fun Indie albums of the year. In a stagnant scene which has become burgeoning with sound-alikes it is both exciting and reassuring that it is young women who are turning in the most adventurous and fun albums.
I Gemini is a fun listen and one which show cases a huge amount of potential. As the Who once said: “The Kids are alright”.