- Sweet and perhaps best enjoyed in small doses describes the sound of Lobster Theremin's latest 12-inch and the soft drink it's named after. It's by Pépe, a young Spanish producer whose early releases—including the first track that he put to vinyl, last year's "Cécile"—suggested a loose kinship with the lo-fi house scene. Lemon Fanta's title track is from that period. It's been online for more than a year, and has a YouTube video with a collage of ocean waves. That same summer holiday optimism flows through the EP.
The melodic immediacy of "Lemon Fanta," where a spring-loaded bassline and misty strings set the scene for a fun loop of Japanese-language monologue, is hard to dislike, even if the sound from which it derives is now overly familiar. The mood elsewhere is a touch more bittersweet. "Benzine Electronics"'s twinkling lead is depressed by pointillist notes that dip in and out of minor keys. "Rainfall Pts I & II"'s strings and piano chords, which echo classic Detroit techno, beam with pride. The cheeriness of Lemon Fanta's B-side tracks wears thin over time. "Rainfall Pts I & II"'s is elegant and rich with melody, but after 12 minutes of the same thing it seems soggy. "Benzine Electronics"'s dreamy 808 electro is similarly resistant to changing course.
Tracklist01. Rainfall (Pts I & II)
02. Lemon Fanta
03. Benzine Electronics