One of the hardest parts of listening to a new record from a band you previously loved is the anticipation of “what is this going to sound like.” For most people, it is almost impossible to disconnect the album from the bands discography. I went through this with SMALL BROWN BIKE when they released the River Bed. I LOVED their previous discography, but the River Bed was different. It sort of sounded like Small Brown Bike, but there were all these other elements of song writing that I never imagined the band would explore. If it doesn’t sound like the old records, is it really the same band we once fell in love with? Do we owe something to this band and this new, different, record? Even though it doesn’t sound like the old records, is it still good? Is it still something great to listen to?

I imagine a lot of people are going to go through the above emotions when listening to LEMURIA’s Pebble. Having spent almost 8 years carving their niche in the pop-punk and power-pop world, Pebble branches out to new, uncharted territory for the band. There is no “In A World Of Ghosts” or “Dogs.” No “Get some Sleep,” “Hours” or “Mechanical.” The upbeat, smile-inducing poppy-ness that saturated the bands previous discography is oddly absent, instead replaced with a dark moodiness. Within the moodiness there are hints of the smiling optimism that bubbled in Get Better and Lemuria’s vast collection of EPs and 7”s, but for the most part, the album meddles from track to track at their own tempo, on their own time. Tracks like “Chautauqua County,” “Different Girls” and “Pleaser” certainly draw deeply from the sound Lemuria perfected in their previous records, tracks like “Ribcage,” “Wise People” and, certainly the albums opener “Gravity” tap into uncharted realms for the band. But while the record as a whole is still different, it is still recognizable as a Lemuria record. It sounds just like all of their old records, while still sounding like nothing they have ever done before. All the SUPERCHUNK and PIXIES influences are still there, but wrapped up in a totally different package.

The songs that make up Pebble are certainly a mot more “mature,” while still managing to keep the playful and honest lyrics that Alex Kerns and Sheena Ozella have perfected over their time playing together. On top of all of that, the one thing that hasn’t changed, and probably never will change as long as Lemuria is making records, is the hooks. Ozella and Kerns have become the masters of creating lines and hooks that etch themselves into your brain, echoing in your brain for hours and days at a time.

Sonically, Pebble is a vast improvement from Get Better. Production value has always been the hurdle holding Lemuria back, and with J Robbins at the helm of Pebble, the production sounds exactly what you would expect. It’s big. The dynamics are astounding, and the tones are just incredible. This is the best sounding record Lemuria has ever produced, chalk full of character and warmth that was nowhere to be found in their previous records. For a band that has always been pegged within the DIY-House-Show crowd, this record is as “big” and “professional” as it gets.

So, Pebble. Is it a good record? Even though it’s not Get Better, is it still a great listen? Well, for me, this is an easy question. Regardless of whether or not the record is great… I have been watching Lermuria grow for the entire extent of their life as a band. I’ve watched them play in front of 5 people in a house in the bad side of Atlanta, to now watching them play the biggest venue on the biggest day of the Fest. The way the band has managed to transform themselves and continue to grow as interesting, important and relevant people within the pop-punk world, while still being the nicest folks you will ever come across astounds me. This record could be a pile of garbage, and I would try and talk myself into it, and then try and talk my friends into it as well.

Luckily I don’t have to do that. Pebble is everything anyone should want out of indie power-pop. It sets the standard and raises the bar for everyone trying to produce something memorable for the year.

Bridge Nine