LIME CORDIALE SWEET TALKIN'

AUGUST 2024

Words by Vasili Papathanasopoulos

Photographs by Oliver Begg

Styling by Isabella Mamas

The first time I spoke with Lime Cordiale’s Oli and Louis Leimbach at length was in early 2022. The duo had just landed in Sydney and jumped straight onto zoom to chat about their appearance at Groovin The Moo and their single, Facts Of Life. What ensued was a voyage from Sydney Airport to their home, taking me along in the Uber ride until Oli’s phone ran out of battery. Having spoken to the brothers a handful of times since, including most recently for the launch of their own brewing company LARGO Brewing, we now meet at a cafe in Alexandria barely twenty four hours after the brothers landed in Sydney from Europe. “Jet lag hitting,” Oli remarked at times.

Since the release of their sophomore album, 14 Steps To A Better You, a lot has changed for the Leimbach’s. Sold-out tours across the globe, ARIA Award wins, a mini-EP in collaboration with Idris Elba. With their new record, Enough Of The Sweet Talk, the pressure began to rise. “It [14 Steps To A Better You] went to number one and we were just like, holy fuck... we did a whole bunch of press, and tours were like selling out and things. It just felt like this fully next step for us. I guess four years later to now, it's like the pressure is on [laughs]. It's kind of scary in a way,” says Oli. He goes on to recall releasing their debut album, Permanent Vacation, a release void of the pressures of notoriety - instead serving as the jumping board for what was to come. Released in 2017, Oli pinpoints, that was the moment when the viability of a career as a musician began to present itself. “We didn't feel like a real band until that album came out. When we put that one out, it was like, 'okay, now we can call ourselves like a band.' It doesn't feel like we have to be like, 'oh, I do this labouring job and I'm also in a band.' You know? It's like, I can actually just say this for real.” When thinking of how their artistry has evolved, Oli says there’s less improvisation. Louis counters, “I mean in terms of winging it, I feel like you're always still winging it. Every time you start a new project or a new album, it's like, 'oh yeah, we're gonna have this one way more together than the last one.' I feel like it's definitely a Frankenstein method, still scraping bits and pieces together.” Unpacked, that ‘Frankenstein’ method they say is the ‘thought of going into the making of the album with a devised plan.’ Perhaps the definitive plan is that nothing goes to plan. “This time we were like, 'let's just record the album in like two months at this same place.' And it just didn't work like that because we just wanted to change things and do different songs and write more songs. The album concept changed a lot. But I think in the end it is more of a concept album than we've ever done before.”

Louis wears: Jacket, Jungles Jungles. Jeans, Venroy. Shoes, artists own. Oli wears: Top, Haulier. Jacket, Golden Goose. Jeans, Levis. Shoes, Berwick.

14 Steps To A Better You loosely presented itself as a self-help guide. Enough of the Sweet Talk raises the bar and firmly takes its place as a conceptually-driven narrative. Opening with Pedestal, we’re introduced to the glistening glint of new love on the horizon. Louis sings of observing a potential love interest from afar and teetering around the thought of making a move. As we move through the record and past the naivety of the ‘liking stage,’ love blossoms and a relationship forms on tracks such as Happiness Season, before taking a turn in the records second half with Cold Treatment, until ultimately the relationship has met its demise by the albums closer, Strangers. Having always cultivated the concept throughout writing the album, the brothers have drawn on individual experiences with love and loss to create one linear narrative - again leaning into their ‘Frankenstein’ method. “The ‘love and loss’ thing is an interesting one because we write all these love songs, but we're brothers, we do write lyrics separately. We come together and we discuss the concept and sometimes we hone in on that concept a bit harder together when we overanalyse our own lyrics,” notes Oli. “I guess we have different experiences and we have shared experiences from different times over the writing of this album... we tried to just make it like one relationship. I guess we tried to make it seem like it's one person. This Frankenstein thing, but just making it one person, and that hopefully someone could listen to and be like, 'that's my experience.’” Beyond its central storyline, the brothers introduce a number of themes across the seventeen tracks. Louis grapples with his own anxiety on When I’m Losing It, and concealing it from a partner. They battle their own success and recognition on Imposter Syndrome, offering a dual perspective on the matter that brings you right back down to earth. Vivid storytelling lyricism unfolds throughout the record, allowing for a more refined approach to the brothers’ relatable and sometimes conversational lyricism.

The album splits itself into three acts and an encore, divided by cues. Each cue offers spoken word anecdotes from a French acquaintance, recorded by the brothers during their travels. This structure drives the narrative home, helping to dissect the relationship that unfurls throughout the album. “We asked her all about her relationship and got a whole bunch out of her and then wrote these little weird bossanova [laughs] tunes to go with them. It's pretty much a narrative thing, splitting up different parts of the album.” The brothers have always been drawn towards French influences, after all their name itself uses the French language. France even features in the visual for their hit single Robbery. Oli concludes their fondness for the French motif is due to their mother’s love for the language. “I don't know what the weird French-ness is that we always gravitate to... we often have little bits of French in our music. I think it's because our mum always tried to push French onto us. She speaks fluent French and she had this dream that we would all be speaking French together when we're older. So we did French lessons all through school and in high school and everything, but still just like have very basic French. I think it's just like coming out in bits of songs [laughs].” Perhaps their next endeavour could be an album recorded completely in French?

Louis wears: Jacket, Jungles Jungles. Jeans, Venroy. Shoes, artists own. Oli wears: Top, Haulier. Jacket, Golden Goose. Jeans, Levis. Shoes, Berwick.

Written over the course of four years with collaborator Dave Hammer, the record comes in at seventeen tracks (including the four interludes). I ask the brothers about their process curating the album and how many songs were initially written for the album. “It's hard to know because they're just like scattered everywhere,’ says Oli. “At one point in the process, we put everything into folders, into A, B and C folders. It's like 'probably gonna be on the album, might be on the album, probably not gonna be on the album' folders.” Louis goes on to say most of the demos are comprised of “just a verse and chorus,” and could be revisited at a later date. He jokes these could become short-form songs. “I reckon it's in the hundreds because we are just always writing. Some of them don't even like leave our door. We'd be writing in logic and we'd never even export the song and it's just still in there saved somewhere in our desktop. Because our organisation's pretty bad and there's just songs in weird folders,” adds Oli. Upon first listening to Enough of the Sweet Talk it’s clear to hear that Lime Cordiale are expanding upon their established sound whilst also retaining their signature charisma. The rich and textural body of work is full of lush sonics that bloom with each listen. With the brothers only just beginning their promo cycle for the album, when I tell them my thoughts on the record Oli notes, “It's really interesting because we haven't done that many interviews, or we haven't heard people's take on the album that many times... So when you say something like that, I'm really interested to know how you hear it. This is like a rare experience for us to get like a fresh take on it.” My thoughts are that Enough of the Sweet Talk is subtly their most ambitious collection of songs to date. There isn’t a complete switch in their sound, but something has shifted. Bolder melodies run rampant, song structure appears more considered and the instrumentation utilised is broader. There’s beautiful string work that helps create that lush quality embedded within the albums DNA, counteracted by warbly synths and booming horns to create a truly unique listening experience. The brothers have opened their world to more pop-inspired hooks, whilst retaining their groove-laden indie heritage. This expansion of sound, albeit a conscious decision, wasn’t a choice that didn’t come without its anxieties. “I reckon [we felt pressure] and I didn't wanna do more of the same,” Oli says. “I guess until I started hearing feedback from friends and other people, I thought it was more of the same. I'm kind of stoked that it is a progression.” Louis adds. “I think naturally, you don't wanna move maybe too far from what you know. I thought it [the album] was maybe a bit more of the same. So it is kind of nice. I wouldn't call it like this crazy experimental album or anything just because, I don't know, maybe I wouldn't want to go there even.” They tell me historically they had been “really scared of sounding like super pop,” something that changed following their observation of the industry overseas. “I think being overseas a lot, you have a better take on looking back at Australian music and you're like, 'whoa, it's pretty diverse and really cool' and there are a whole bunch of different sounds. There's so much quality there. So you're not necessarily like looking at your peers and other bands and artists that are at the same level going like, 'oh, we need to sound more like that or more guitar-y because they're doing it.' You're kind of like, 'I'm super fine with just doing something completely different to them.’” This outlook clearly shines within their compositions, now more than ever. They are taking risks and pushing against the confines of genre. Opting to move past the lo-fi sounds on the last two albums and accept varying influences, an idea that may have been born from their collaborative efforts with Elba. On their EP, Cordi Elba, hip-hop sonics were embedded throughout as both artists unified their individual sounds. “I think working with Idris Elba on that EP was really cool because he was English from a completely different background,” says Oli. “We didn't feel like we needed to necessarily sound like a band in a room.” The duo have paved the path for their future releases - should they wish to continue to experiment with their sound.

We talk of the current state of music; EPs vs albums, shorter track lengths. “I reckon albums make a massive difference for a band. Because they're like, they're hard things. Well far out, they're hard things for us to put together anyway,” says Oli. Before the release of their debut album, Lime Cordiale released three EP’s. It’s become somewhat of a right of passage for contemporary artists to release an EP or two before their debut album. After all, you can only release your debut album once. Starting your career is a process of delving into the unknown and putting it all on the line. You are finding your ground as an artist, hoping for exposure and to find your audience. With releasing EPs, you’re allowed that extra time to find your footing before making a larger statement about your artistry. And of course, there’s the ever changing state of the industry and how we consume music. “The early stages of doing our EPs, there were elements of really trying to get songs that would get played on radio, because we were just desperate to get played on radio. Now it's like with radio being maybe less important than it was a while ago... you really just cater for your audience and yourself a lot more. So there's confidence in that a bit.” ‘TikTok’ music is an idea that comes up, and the influence it has had on track lengths. I note how Ice Spice and Central Lee’s recent collaboration clocks in at 01:58. Louis remarks, “our producer is really into that. There was one song, I can't remember what it was, but it was like a minute and five seconds long and he just loved it. He is like, 'yeah, it's great. Just in and out, in and out. You want to listen to it again.’” Oli notes that longer track times allow for more artistic freedom and exploration. Who can deny the success of Taylor Swift’s ten minute version of All Too Well - which broke records and topped the charts. David Bowie, The Doors, Nina Simone, Bob Dylan and more have all had tracks clock in at over ten minutes. Bohemian Rhapsody sits at five minutes and fifty five seconds. By removing the pressure of radio play and viral success, the brothers have stuck to longer compositions. “You're not restricted to like a three minute thirty song, or like radio likes it shorter or radio wants you to get into it like within the first thirty seconds. There's maybe freedom to be a bit more artistic.” He does note however that many of Elvis’ songs ran for two minutes, so we can’t completely blame TikTok for shorter attention spans.

Louis wears: Jacket, Jungles Jungles. Jeans, Venroy. Shoes, artists own. Oli wears: Top, Haulier. Jacket, Golden Goose. Jeans, Levis. Shoes, Berwick.

Alongside their music, Lime Cordiale have created a distinct brand with their artworks. Louis designs and creates all the cover art for their releases, and Enough Of The Sweet Talk is no exception. I ask him about the inspiration for the distinct album cover, to which he responds, “I struggled pretty hard with this one. I went into it thinking I only had eight days to finish the whole album cover. I don't know why I had this deadline in my brain. So I went away by myself trying to create this thing.” The albums artwork features linocut artworks of the brothers, hand gestures, a polaroid camera, a kangaroo and a cowboy hat to name a few. The design takes subtle inspiration from the album and its contents, and took months of work from Louis. “It was a pretty horrible process creating it. I sort of hated it and then had to have like a few months away from it. I think probably the fun part of it was like creating the collage stuff within the inside of the album.” Oli suggested he should have resorted to photoshop to stream line the process. Louis proudly replies, “It's not the same man. It's not the same.” Interestingly, Oli notes how synonymous the album covers are to an artist. He recalls being constantly bombarded with the cover of 14 Steps To A Better You over the past four years, on merchandise, websites, billboards, Spotify and more. “So this time round you're probably like, 'I'm gonna see this, whatever this cover is, I'm gonna just see it for a long time.' And I'm just like, I don't want it to be fucked,” he concludes. I offer them an idea for a TikTok series; ‘Lino Cuts with Louis,’ where the musician could film himself creating the artworks and share with their audience - serving almost as tutorials. “That's not a bad idea. Louis would love it if he didn't have to talk through it and he could just put a camera above him and do the lino,” says Oli. Louis likens the idea to Nara Smith’s compelling cooking tutorials.

Lime Cordiale are arguably one of Australia’s most beloved live acts. Having performed at festivals across the nation, sold-out headline tours and appeared on a number of programs, they have become known for their touring efforts. In 2021 they won the ARIA Award for Best Live Australian Act. In a matter of weeks, they will kick off their European and UK tour, before returning home for their biggest tour to date. “This tour that's coming up in October, it's like the biggest tour we've ever gone on, like the biggest shows we've ever done and stuff,” Oli says. “So we're putting a lot of effort into just making it a completely new experience.” He notes that punters would have likely seen them perform in a “stinky venue, or a pub or a festival,” and this time around they want to make it a unique experience for the audiences who attend. At the time of this interview, they were still working out the kinks (“we recorded this album a little while ago and now we're in that awkward stage of like, we've forgotten how to play the songs [laughs]” ) and didn’t offer much on what to expect - leaving it a total surprise for their devoted fans. Beyond their stage presence and musicianship, the brothers have always set out to support local talent by inviting emerging artists to support their tours. Oli says this is due to their own experiences earlier on in their career and the realisation that performing live is how you accumulate an audience. “We've never had something that's just like really popped off. As I said that first album, it felt like it got popular due to so many shows. Being the first band on a festival, you know, and people discovering us and then going back to that album and then the second album. I don't think it would've done well without all those shows.” Their old-school approach of hitting the road and working off the personal relationship and exchange between a performer and the audience. I mention they themselves, Teenage Dads and Pacific Avenue seem to never be off the road. “They're kind of doing the same thing and we have always loved seeing live music and I just feel like every band that we really love, most of them, we've had an amazing experience seeing them live. That's probably why we love them so much. I feel like we're just trying to give people that experience,” says Oli. He names Teenage Dads, Aleksiah and The Rions as rising artists that they can see following a similar path as they did years before. Their label mates Teenage Dads have spent the better part of their career on the road, and are set to embark on their own album tour later this month. “Teenage Dads, it feels like they're a second away from being a way bigger band than we are. So it's just like at some point we'll probably be like, 'Hey, can we support you?' [Laughs] We're just taking them along so we can support them,” jokes Oli. With so much time on the road, it’s inevitable that there are people out there whose first live experience was a Lime Cordiale show - a thought that both scares and excites Oli. “It's so crazy when you meet someone and they're like your concert was the first live concert I ever went to. And you're like, ‘no way.’ Because that's a really strong memory for everyone, you know? And it's a question that you ask other people, like, what was your first show? To be someone's first show, that's kind of scary. That's a big responsibility [laughs].”

Louis wears: Jacket, Jungles Jungles. Jeans, Venroy. Shoes, artists own. Oli wears: Top, Haulier. Jacket, Golden Goose. Jeans, Levis. Shoes, Berwick.

As our time together begins to end, I check in on a topic we spoke about when we last met on a rooftop in Manly. Having sat down to talk about LARGO Brewing, one of the companies primary commitments is to create a carbon neutral product. They have done this through changes made to the brewing process to further reduce emissions. Having spent the two years prior to its launch working on the project, the brothers have been there every step of the way throughout the planning and production process - bringing the same commitment from their artistry to the brewery. I ask them how they think artists can approach sustainability - after all it is not lost on the Leimbach’s the impact touring has on the environment. Oli offers, ”I just think that people don't need to necessarily stop doing what they're doing. They just need to kind of change the action a bit, slightly. For us, I guess making that beer, it was like we've got a consumable product and we want to sell as many of these things as possible. So let's make it as like small and impactful as we can. I think flying around the world, that's like the biggest hypocrite warning ever, you know? Going on tour, getting on a plane, getting on a bus, and burning diesel around the world. That's our dilemma. So we are just trying to find every way we can change that.” This extends into their music, in particular the release of Enough Of The Sweet Talk. The album has been pressed on ECOVIN - a low carbon PVC compound that reduces the Co2 output of vinyl records by 92.5% - further showing that Lime Cordiale are always thinking about the future.

Last week, Enough Of The Sweet Talk debuted at number one on the ARIA Album Charts, becoming the first album by an Australian artist to debut take out the top spot since October 2023.