Sea Lemon’s ‘Cellar’ Offers Dream Pop Framed In Darkness

Seattle’s Sea Lemon has shared new song ‘Cellar’.

The project is the work of Natalie Lew, a long-time music fan who had never previously dreamed of releasing anything of her own. Heading to New York to study, the pandemic brought her back to the Pacific North West, affording her space to sketch out some creative ideas.

Somehow, the songs just flowed. Debut EP ‘Close Up’ landed last year, with Natalie Lew chasing the name Sea Lemon after the acid-yellow sea slugs who populate the waters of the Puget Sound.

Now signed to Luminelle Recordings, Sea Lemon supports long-time Clash favourite Hatchie shortly, with new single ‘Cellar’ online now.

An excellent piece of music, it sits in that shoegaze / dream pop nexus while also channelling something a little darker, and more obscure. Her nascent pop touch is evident, but Sea Lemon also nods to more unsettling aspects of the subconscious.

In a note, she cites vintage horror as a key aspect of her creative framework…

‘Cellar’ was inspired by my love of really classic horror and thriller films, like Blow Out and Misery, and how loving scary movies can sometimes feel like something is wrong with you. That idea of the ‘cellar’ in the song is based on the traditional horror trope where the protagonist can’t help but discover what’s lurking in the basement, and that what they find there often represents something really dark and horrifying.

In the lyrics, I say ‘the cellar is where I belong’ which is me grappling with this idea that sometimes really terrifying imagery interests me the most.

Tune in now.

Photo Credit: Eleanor Petry