It might be the year of the horse in the Chinese calendar, but for everyone else? It’s the year of The Bitter Lemons. 2026 has seen the Birmingham Garage psycho-rockin’ blues-abillies head out on tour with The Hillbilly Moon Explosion, take to the stage at Bedlam Breakout and Boomtown, and to top it all off: they’ve finally dropped their debut album after a string of gorgeous singles.

Lemon fans will be pleased to revisit to know that their favourite latest singles are making an appearance on ‘Peel A Little Deeper’. As well as opening with the explosive ‘Gaslighter’, we’re treated to the endless optimism of ‘My Time’ and live instrument-swapping highlight ‘Curds And Whey’. We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention their live sets because The Bitter Lemons have managed that rare thing of capturing the pure excitement of their live shows into these singles, whether it’s the country-tinged menace of ‘Give Me The Keys’ or anti-pop earworm that is ‘B.N.O.C’. If we’re being completely honest, the singles half of this record alone make buying ‘Peel A Little Deeper’ worth it, whether you’re already loving the Lemons or looking for the perfect gift to convert.a sceptical pal. But what about the brand new album tracks?

‘Expectations’ is pure rebel garage Rock n Roll, with a post-modern Bo Diddley beat, blistering solo guitar touches and empowering gang vocals, and ‘Rebel Cry’ is a bluesy slow-burner which is a hair’s breadth away from acquiring full blown anthem status. If you’re into underground murder rock (who isn’t?!) then ‘Kill My Baby’ is going to be your new favourite song: hot licks, barely contained wild energy and a whole universe of rockin’ crammed into three minutes of fun. ‘Toxic Waste’ slinks with a very Cramps vocal switchup – proving that The Bitter Lemons will always resist definition – and if you like your blues-influence on a track to be as grimy as possible, with a side of motoring energy, then look no further than ‘Highway’. A special place of honour goes to closer ‘Slipping Through My Fingers’ though. Already a staple of The Bitter Lemons’ live sets, it has it all: bittersweet vocals, a charm all it’s own and a gritty loveliness in every line.

There’s a reason why we declared this The Year Of The Bitter Lemons. ‘Peel A Little Deeper’ is a brilliant debut, packing in everything that they love with passion and joy for the statement they’re making. The whole album has so many different sides, from fuzzy garage sleaze and bluesy grind all the way through to pep and sweetness when they need to call upon it. The train that The Bitter Lemons are riding is only accelerating, and ‘Peel A Little Deeper’ is the stop where even more fans are going to jump on.

Kate Allvey

Pick up a vinyl copy via The Bitter Lemons’ Instagram. ‘Peel A Little Deeper’ will be available for streaming from Wednesday 19th August.

Catch the Bitter Lemons live with the Meteors on 26th September at Nuneaton Queens Hall and on 17th October at Satan’s Lair Weekender in Bristol!