Maybe Not Tonight

Brighton four-piece Lime Garden release their self-reckoning second album, Maybe Not Tonight, via So Young Records. It includes the punch-drunk lead single, ’23’. Fizzing with the anticipation of stepping into a club at the very start of a night out, ’23’ sets the tone for the record in full. Bouncy basslines and looping synths pull the listener straight onto the dancefloor, conjuring the bright, ecstatic glow of possibility. Yet beneath its euphoric rush lies a distinctly mid-20s anxiety: the realisation that adulthood has arrived, whether you feel ready for it or not. Maybe Not Tonight unfolds as a full night out, charting the pleasures and perils of partying and impulsive decisions. “The album is about a night out, from start to finish,” Howard explains. “As the night progresses, you’re having a great time, until your ex walks in with someone else. You hate the way you look but rather than going home, you press the big red button and get even more drunk. Eventually, you take yourself home full of melancholy, chaos and anger.” Written in the aftermath of a period of intense personal upheaval, described by the band as a collective “mass breakup”, the album finds Lime Garden grappling with grief, drinking, body image and self-esteem, while leaning into a shared, self-aware hedonism. Early uncertainty fuelled a creative urgency that runs through all ten tracks. Produced by Charlie Andrew (Wolf Alice, alt-J), with additional production from drummer Annabel Whittle, Maybe Not Tonight reflects the band’s rapid evolution. Glitchy vocal fragments, hypnotic drum lines, garage-rock guitars, detuned synths and even bongos weave together into immersive, richly detailed songs. Many began life as Whittle’s home-produced demos, drawing influence from Bon Iver, A.G. Cook, Danny L Harle and Jim-E Stack, while pulling from a wide pool of inspirations including Scissor Sisters, Magdalena Bay, The Breeders, St. Vincent, Lily Allen, The Stone Roses and New Order.