ALBUM: Let’s Eat Grandma ‘I, Gemini’

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With their mischievous fairytale-esque name and ethereal pop sounds, Rosa & Jenny – aka Let’s Eat Grandma – don’t need to rely on horoscopes to predict their bright future. Their debut album, I, Gemini, is a charming collection of atmospheric synths and youthful, deceptively sweet vocals.

‘Deep Six Text Book’ opens the record with its studious undertones, echoing percussion, melancholy synths, and apathetic lyrics – “we live our lives in the text book, and letter by letter, I feel like standing on the desk and screaming “I don’t care!” – setting the dreamy, haunting precedent for the rest of the album. Rosa (16) and Jenny (17), have recently finished studying for their GCSEs, and can comfortably neglect their textbooks if the results are as striking and enjoyable as this track.

‘Eat Shiitake Mushrooms’ (which has been remixed by Joel from Wolf Alice) begins with lullaby-like xylophone sounds and uneasy synths, before the beat kicks in. The track builds steadily up to Kate Bush-style vocals, before some unexpected spoken word verses alter the song’s tempo. This pick ‘n’ mix style sticks like “bubble gum on your shoes” (in the good way). The topically named ‘Sax In The City’ hosts some jazzy saxophone sounds, whilst the greedily named ‘Chocolate Sludge Cake’ begins with beautifully clear woodwind, slowly morphing in to a trippy decision about which cake to make, underscored by dramatic organ synths.

‘Chimpanzees In Canopies’ is not as chaotic as it sounds, and is one of the shortest tracks on the album. ‘Rapunzel’ is a twisted take on the universally acknowledged fairytale, and ‘Sleep Song’ is equally as twisted with its overlapping vocals and accordion-style synths. ‘Welcome to the Treehouse Part I’ is an invitation underscored by twinkly-synths and sweet, but haunting vocals; followed by the bouncier ‘Welcome to the Treehouse Part II’, with its dance-inducing percussion fading in and out throughout the track.

‘Uke 6 Textbook’ is a ukulele rendition of the opening track, and is an ornate bookend to this well crafted, fantastical record. Even when stripped of all synthetic embellishment, Let’s Eat Grandma manage to close their album on an optimistic, delightfully tuneful note. If you’re a fan of bands who resonate on unusual frequencies, make sure you invest in I, Gemini.

I, Gemini is released on 17th May via Transgressive Records.