The ascent of Lime Cordiale as one of Australia’s most exportable bands in recent years has only been delayed slightly by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Their success, coming off two big albums (including the ARIA-chart topping and J Award Winning 2020 record 14 Steps To A Better You), feels natural. But unlike many of their peers, Lime Cordiale has had a steeper trajectory than you might think. In 2017 they were playing venues like Newtown Social Club in Sydney, Black Bear Lounge in Brisbane, and Howler in Melbourne. Now they’re selling out multiple shows in the same week at places like the Hordern Pavilion.
How can this be explained? When reviewing their last album for Music Feeds in 2020, I posited that brothers Oli and Louis Leimbach, and their crew, were one of a rare few Aussies acts that shine equally through recorded music and while playing live. But there’s more to it than that. As time goes by, they continue to attract the attention of some of the world’s biggest musicians, actors, and celebrities, with Post Malone a self-professed fanboy. Now, their new mini-album Cordi Elba heavily features English actor, producer, and musician, and the man tipped by many to be cast as the next James Bond – Idris Elba.
Fans had a taste of the collaboration in late 2021 with the release of two singles ‘Apple Crumble’ and ‘What’s Not To Like’, tracks that will likely score high in the triple j’s Hottest 100 of 2021 later this month.
Cordi Elba is a fascinating album in many ways. You get the immediate impression on first listen that the boys really wanted to extract every drop of talent Elba had to offer, with the Brit showcasing his skills at rapping, singing, speak-singing, humming, scatting, and pretty much everything in between.
This is evidenced on cuts ‘What’s Not To Like’, a driving, pulsating effort that will have you dancing as Elba speak-sings effortlessly through verses before being joined by backing vocals from the boys for a more melodic chorus, and ‘Ditto’, where Elba’s vocals really hold their own, catchy melodies intertwined with his recognisable tones.
Elsewhere, the boys know that some of you will come along on the Cordi Elba ride hoping for a collection of easy listening summer anthems. If that’s your jam, ‘Meant To Be A Holiday’ is for you. Clever and equally funny vocals see Elba go toe-to-toe with Louis on a tune that you can imagine being belted out at many a festival and live show over the next 12 months.
Word is that Lime Cordiale has already started work on their third album, with Cordi Elba serving as a really fun pit stop along the way.
What comes next is anyone’s guess, as is which international celebrity will find themselves falling into the expanding Lime Cordiale web. I can guarantee you though that whatever the future holds, these guys are going to have a crapload of fun along the way, and you, the listener, will always feel it too through their music.
