HalfCutLemon: This Ain't Real
HalfCutLemon Redefine Reality on “This Ain’t Real”
by Jack Rush
Copenhagen’s HalfCutLemon have never been a band to color inside the lines, but with their second album This Ain’t Real, they’ve moved far beyond merely breaking rules—they’ve rewritten their own sonic manifesto. Released on September 25, 2025, via Aenaos Records, the nine-track record captures a group unafraid to evolve, to stretch their creative limbs, and to stare straight into the chaos of modern existence with both fury and grace.
Recorded at the legendary Sweet Silence Studio with iconic producer Flemming Rasmussen (Metallica), This Ain’t Real carries a sharp, dynamic edge. Rasmussen’s production gives structure to HalfCutLemon’s volatility, balancing raw emotion with clarity. The result is a record where noise and nuance collide in thrilling harmony—from the serrated punk blast of “Ointment” to the sweeping, cinematic melancholy of “The Sun Is Dying.”
“Ointment” opens the album like a punch through glass: fierce, immediate, and unfiltered. Frontman Elias Mørch delivers with feverish conviction, his voice riding over guitars that snarl and crash with righteous precision. Beneath the aggression, though, lies a vein of melodic sadness that gives the song surprising depth. It’s a balance critics have praised—Turn Up The Volume called it “a hefty haymaker,” while Lost In The Manor lauded its “raw brashness and melodic sadness.” It’s a statement of intent: HalfCutLemon aren’t just raging—they’re reflecting.
By contrast, “The Sun Is Dying” burns slowly and darkly, unfolding as a brooding elegy that expands the band’s sound into orchestral and baroque pop territory. With haunting strings, layered harmonies, and a cinematic scope, the track captures both apocalypse and rebirth. Hella Fuzz described it as “urgent yet unnerving,” and Nordic Music Central praised its “timely resonance.” It’s the record’s emotional core—a moment of stillness amid the storm.
Guest appearances from post-punk icon Peter Peter and vocalist Persille Ingerslev add further texture, enriching a sound that already straddles punk, art rock, and avant-pop. Lyrically, the album dives into themes of turmoil (“Fist”), memory (“Summer’s Gone”), and renewal (“Up!”), reflecting a world teetering between collapse and hope.
This Ain’t Real is, fittingly, anything but ordinary. It’s the sound of a band testing their limits and finding new worlds beyond them—gritty yet grand, furious yet tender. With this record, HalfCutLemon confirm their place among Scandinavia’s most compelling and unpredictable voices in modern post-punk.
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