Music fans know this: Currently, there is no shortage of new music arriving daily. During the last two years, musicians had plenty of time to make records and reflect on the tumultuous times. Songs were written and records were made during the pandemic, and some of these reflected on and contemplated the full range of emotional and spiritual impact that the pandemic had on musicians' lives. Mt. Joy's new song, "Lemon Tree," was written during the pandemic and influenced by it.
"Lemon Tree is a song that Sam (Cooper) and I wrote deep in the pandemic. It started as a groove that we could just sit and play for a long time and get lost in it, which was much needed," Matt Quinn, the lead singer and guitarist for the band, said in a recent email to World Cafe. "The lyrics are about leaning into positive energy and accepting what you can't change, which, I think, was a theme that came out a lot subconsciously in the midst of having shows get shut down."
Produced by Caleb Nelson, Quinn was enthusiastic about Nelson's work on the song in the studio.
"It took a long time to get this song right, as a recording," he said. "It's such a live song and is really fun in that medium, but we're also really excited about the place we got it to, as a recording."
The band's live performance of "Lemon Tree" goes back to early spring of 2021. The song — and accompanying dreamy, psychedelic video — is the band's first new song for their new label home, Island Records. It's a next-level song for the band that shifts multiple rhythmic gears, complete with Cooper's swirling Jerry Garcia-esque guitar lines, Quinn's now-familiar sing-along hooks, choruses and full-on rock breakdowns.
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