HalfCutLemon has returned with their new album, “This Ain’t Real,” a powerful set of nine songs that move through the heavy subjects of modern life. The band—a four-piece from Copenhagen—shows a large step forward in how they build their music. Recorded with the famed producer Flemming Rasmussen, known for his work with Metallica, the album moves easily between loud, raw punk and grand, moving rock songs. The band also brings in the special talents of post-punk master Peter Peter and singer Persille Ingerslev, helping them achieve a wider, more complex sound. This album is a look at what happens when our beliefs and the world around us start to break down.
The album starts with “Ointment,” a song that is fast and angry and grabs you right away. The music is a loud, pushing wall of sound with a rough guitar and a hard beat that feels like worry. The singer’s voice is also rough and stressed. The main point is about broken trust—that painful moment when you learn something you thought was true is not. The song says you must not hide the pain, and you need to face the hurt so it can get better.
Next, the album takes a deep breath and shifts completely with “The Sun Is Dying.” This is a slower, larger-sounding piece of rock that builds a feeling of sadness and emptiness. The music makes an empty place with low, sad bass sounds and clean, quiet guitars. The singer uses a calm, thinking voice, like someone watching the world change from far away. This song speaks about the problems that everyone is worried about now. It is a sad view of how the things we thought were safe and true—in society, nature, or politics—are falling apart. It captures the feeling that the simple, comforting parts of life are going away, replaced by a widespread sense of panic. The song tells us that this feeling of fading security is not just one person’s problem, but a large, shared hurt that we must all recognize.
“La Revolution” is the longest track and one of the most experimental. It moves the band’s sound into areas that feel like art rock, focusing more on atmosphere than on simple song structure. The main part of the music is a slow, steady pulse, like a march toward something unknown. They use the instruments to make a feeling. The guitars make ringing noises and the synth sounds draw a cold, tense picture. The way the words are said is key here: it sounds more like someone talking than singing, done with a flat, rushed voice. This style pulls the listener into a tense story that makes you think. The main idea of the song is about social pressure—the slow build-up of friction before a big change. It describes the feeling of living in a world always close to a breaking point, where the need for change is clear to some but ignored by others. It shows the “revolution” not as a fast burst of action, but as a slow, worrying path toward a needed awakening.
“Summers Gone” takes the album to a place of deep feeling and looking back at the past. It is a sing-song track filled with a sad feeling of wanting something back. The music has a steady rhythm, but it feels slowed down by emotion. The bass is warm but sad, and the guitars are bright but unhappy, like a clear but painful memory. The singer’s voice is sad, sounding like someone thinking about the past from far away. The main idea is the common, sweet-and-sad feeling of time moving on and losing a better, brighter time. It looks at memory not as just facts, but as the heavy feeling of a happy time that is now over. This track talks about growing up, where understanding loss means accepting change and getting ready for the future.
The album then hits with “Fist,” which is the most aggressive song on it. This is loud, straight-up rock with a heavy, driving beat that feels like it can’t be stopped. The music is meant to be loud and overwhelming, with heavy bass and simple, hard guitar riffs that make you feel like you’re hitting something. The singer’s voice is a rough, loud shout that goes right through the heavy music with a clear reason. The main idea of “Fist” is to be real about your anger and to keep fighting. It shows the feeling of being pushed too far, when the only choice is to stand up strong as a group. The message is for anyone who feels stuck or confused, and it shows how anger can become a strong, physical force. It is the album’s call to action, reminding us that strong belief can be turned into a weapon.
“Disturbance” is a song about the feeling of inner disorder. The music has a tight but frantic rhythm, like a racing heart. The atmosphere is thick and closed in, created by sharp, harsh guitar sounds and synth layers that feel like static or unwanted noise. The vocal delivery is almost flat, yet sounds desperate, like a radio signal trying to get through heavy interference. The song looks closely at feeling alone and the failure of real conversation. It captures the frustration of trying to connect but only finding “noise” and misunderstanding. It speaks to the inner fight that happens when the modern world, full of endless input, makes it hard to find a quiet, clear understanding. It is a tense picture of being deeply alone even when surrounded by connection.
“We Know Their Names” is the last song on the album. It is dark and makes you stop and think. It slows the music down, which makes you feel tense inside. The song has a simple drum beat you won’t forget and a sad-sounding guitar. Big keyboard sounds make the song feel mysterious and deep. The singer starts with a low, plain voice and then gets loud and very emotional. The main point of this song is to make people pay for their bad things. It says we have to remember things as a group, and that wrong things are never truly gone. The message is to stay awake and watching. It is a quiet promise: even if those in power try to hide what they did, the names of the bad people will always be found out. This gives the album a strong ending, changing a deep thought into a powerful way to remember.
Overall, HalfCutLemon’s “This Ain’t Real” is a successful journey through the struggles of modern life. It uses loud music to talk about quiet truths, making it a professional and important piece of work.
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