Here's my embarrassing Lemonheads story. In 1989 I was working at and buying imports and independent releases for The Record Co-Op at the University of Maryland. I tried to get cool stuff in the store, but we sold more U2 records than we did Unrest ones, frankly. I do remember the guy from Taang! Records kept calling me and asking me to stock records from The Lemonheads. I probably knew the band from reading about them in CMJ, the industry magazine to which I reported our store's sales figures. But I stupidly said, "I don't think we need those records as no one's asked for them." While that was true, sadly, it was also a sign of me being a bit tight with what funds I had to buy stock for the store.
More than 35 years later and I'm here to rave about a record from The Lemonheads. Remarkably resilient, the band fronted by Evan Dando is offering up in 2025 one of the best records of the year with Love Chant. The tunes here, like the pounding "Deep End", or the urgently plaintive "In the Margin" are largely sharp rockers. The songs, as direct and affecting as anything Dando's done in his long career, are all remarkably enjoyable. "Cell Phone Blues" and the playful "Wild Thing" are fun, while the heartfelt "Togetherness is All I'm After" is as endearing as its title. Featuring contributions from Juliana Hatfield, J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr., and others, Love Chant is so listenable that it's almost amazing. I really can't think of any other act from the peak years of college rock who's returned with such vitality.
Evan Dando operates out of Brazil now, and while I'm not going to speculate that that is why he sounds so invigorated here, but maybe it is? The greatest strength of this band has always been the heart that Evan Dando puts into the material. Even when he was being written about in Sassy magazine, the guy seemed like the real deal. Here in 2025, it's almost a surprise at just much the return of The Lemonheads is appreciated. In a world of ironic indie, and Brit bands trying to out clever each other, the straightforward charms of the loud American college rock of Dando's outfit are treasures for listeners. That he had to go to Brazil to hit his creative peak is funny, given how all American this guy always sounded to me. What Evan Dando's offered up here on Love Chant is a record full of heart-on-the-sleeve, beefy alt rock that punches hard and touches the heart with its genuine intent. Highly recommended.
Love Chant by The Lemonheads is out on Friday via Fire Records.
More details via The official Lemonheads website.
[Photo: Gareth Jones]