In an era of nostalgia, brothers Brian and Michael D’Addario formed The Lemon Twigs to harken back to some of the most nostalgic eras of music, that of 60s sunshine pop and 70s soft rock. Within this classic frame, the duo manages to remain fresh and interesting for the modern day with their new single, “My Golden Years”. Following their 2023 album, “Everything Harmony,” this song departs from the sounds recognizable from discographies of bands like Chicago and instead draws inspiration from The Beach Boys.
Now, understandably, many music heads may quickly discredit a band listening to “You’re the Inspiration” and applying that as an actual inspiration for their sound. There is an undeniable amount of cheese when listening to an Eagles song or a Foreigner song, especially after darker and moodier sounds have had a stronger influence on the greater music landscape. However, when written well, such as with “How Deep Is Your Love” by the Bee Gees or “Against All Odds” by Phil Collins, people forget how warm and joyous these songs can authentically be, even if there is a music snob within us that is embarrassed to admit that. This is especially true for The Lemon Twigs.
While a Beach Boys-inspired song may be on paper more dignified than the music found on “Everything Harmony,” The Lemon Twigs are still set on a mission to use unique songwriting for feel-good genres. It is as if the band yearns for the days in which good music could be simple and heartfelt in a way that even the most bubblegum pop song today doesn’t try to emulate. While subtextually nostalgia has always driven these brothers creatively, adjacent feelings are brought to the forefront in this new single.
Similar to a song that can arguably be called the greatest of all time, “Wouldn’t it Be Nice” by The Beach Boys, “My Golden Years” thematically feels nostalgic despite neither of these songs actually being nostalgic. Technically, nostalgia is a longing for the past while “Wouldn’t it Be Nice” is a longing for the future and “My Golden Years” is a longing for the present. Both of these songs are fascinating because the human condition is to dwell on the past, especially when things get hard, yet both of these songs challenge that instinct.
With a musical palette that feels comforting and uplifting, swelling at just the right moments to create a similar yearning found in the aforementioned Beach Boys song, “My Golden Years” reminds us to be happy with where we are now. It certainly doesn’t mean to celebrate just the good times as the video makes it clear that the longing is even for the days the band is broke in their quest for success. It is however this stage of youthful ambition that is deeply underrated and that is something every struggling artist needs to hear.
With the passion The Lemon Twigs bring to this track, dare I say even more so than The Beach Boys did with their song, they created something new yet familiar with this concept. Who knows if this song will be remembered or how the future will look, but I would like to think that if we work hard for our own dreams, this song can in fact inspire a start to a golden year for us all.
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