Cassia "lemon gelato" Album Review
Magda Kanecka | September 2026
Recorded after returning from their everyone, outside Tour, Cassia, consisting of Rob Ellis (lead vocals & guitar), Lou Cotterill (bass), and Jake Leff (drums), from Macclesfield, England, released their newest record on September 4, 2026.
The band described the recording process as a new approach to their writing through “building grooves and setting up every instrument ready to record all at once, relying mostly on feeling and intuition.”
This instinctive approach shines through “lemon gelato”, an album that balances feelings of anxiety and infatuation with reflection and new experiences, while mainaining a bright, summery indie-pop sound. Now, let’s dive in!
Track 1: “seeing things”
The opening track immediately establishes the album’s themes of anxiety, isolation and feeling trapped. Lines such as “Like crowd noise in a video chat / It’s safer inside of my bed” capture this sense of withdrawal particularly well.
Sonically, rhythmic trumpets and carefully placed drums create an inviting introduction into the world of “lemon gelato”, while the bass gently closes the track and grounds it, progressing the listener into the title track.
Track 2: “lemon gelato”
With light guitars and gentler vocals, this track leans into a bedroom-pop feel while exploring mistakes, self-sabotage and learning from experience.
The contrast between its soft instrumentation and heavier lyrics is particularly effective here; opening with the line “I live my life by the seat of a gun I hear”, and closing with the repeated “Shot me down / Shot me down” gives the song a cynical quality, as though the narrator recognising the same mistakes all over again.
Track 3: “praise”
“praise” had me swaying my shoulders back and forth from the first listen – there is an effortless groove to this track, with the bass taking centre stage before piano enters during the chorus.
Combined with its confident and incredibly catchy instrumental, “praise” becomes both a fun tune and a meaningful confession. Lyrically, there are shades of Arctic Monkeys’ “Arabella” on this track, particularly in its descriptions of admiration and infatuation with someone. Lines like “She moves in leather boots of stately leather” and “Skin deep entirely / Strong like a mountain range / I go and say / I praise you” capture that feeling of being completely taken by someone.
Track 4: “say something”
Another groovy instrumental, “say something” feels like a slight move away from the bedroom-pop sound of the earlier tracks. The shift is subtle, but it works incredibly well.
There is a looseness and warmth to the production that makes the song effortlessly fun, with a rhythm that naturally pulls you along. And I can promise, the “Move like a fool” and “Say something I like, will you” lines will get stuck in your head.
There is a real summer feeling running through the track – bright, breezy and carefree, like on a beach day with friends. For anyone wishing to hold onto summer just a little longer, “say something” is the song for it.
Track 5: “same as always”
Led by guitar riffs and drums, this track pushes Cassia’s indie sound a little further, building towards the kind of explosive chorus many of us are suckers for (myself included).
Lyrically, it feels intimate and nostalgic, particularly in the pre-chorus: “The sun was in her eyes / I cradle that yellow / Afraid of letting go / The same as always, the same as always”. There is something fleeting about the imagery, as though Rob Ellis (vocals) is trying to hold onto a moment before it disappears.
Perhaps it is because of how intimate the lyrics feel, I think “same as always” would translate beautifully into an acoustic version, stripped back to just the guitar and vocals.
Track 6: “another one down”
Track six continues the reflective side of the album, carrying the bittersweet feeling of tracks like “same as always” or “lemon gelato”, without becoming a traditional sad song. Once again, Cassia makes their music feel happier on the outside than the lyrics suggest.
It would be rude not to point out the subtle flamenco influence in the production here; giving “another one down” a slightly different feel at exactly the right point in the album. It sits somewhere between looking back on an experience and simply moving on: “another one down”, another experience to put behind you.
Track 7: “pilot”
Entering the second half of the record, “pilot” brings another welcome change of pace, leaning into a relaxed and breezy feel. If the earlier tracks are perfect for a beach day, this one feels more appropriate for an evening road trip: sun setting, windows down, nowhere in particular to be.
Through lines such as “We’re powerless pilots losing how to be human”, the track seems to explore finding our way through the world around us; yet there is an undeniable ease to it. Rather than trying to outdo the upbeat track before it, “pilot” simply settles into its own groove.
Track 8: “lovedrunk”
As the title suggests, “lovedrunk” is the album’s more openly romantic moment. Soft and intimate, it describes being completely swept up by someone, fitting in nicely with the previous track “praise”.
One of my favourite things about the pacing of this LP, is how each song feels connected without losing its own identity – take it from someone who listened to the album in order instead of on shuffle. “lovedrunk” is just another snapshot of a summer full of new experiences.
Track 9: “2nd life”
To me, this is one of the album’s most intriguing tracks. After a series of reflections on mistakes and new experiences, “2nd life” feels like the conclusion of that cycle.
The melodic lines from Rob Ellis, “Let her be / let her be”, leads into dreamy imagery such as “Laying on the ground under weightless skies”, giving the song a great sense of release. Musically, I’m a big fan of the addition of synths here, which give the track a spacious quality that makes it stand out from the more guitar-led songs.
Track 10: “together in my head”
An inward-looking moment within the album, “together in my head” opens with the question: “Do you ever think of me and feel lighter / Part of me thinks why not”.
After the warmth of the previous tracks, this one quietly explores the kind of relationship or memory that continues to exist in your thoughts long after it has changed or faded.
Its sound is particularly nostalgic; reminding me of songs like Dayglow’s “Can I Call You Tonight?” from around 2019-2020. So much of this record is focused on little moments that stick with us, and “together in my head” captures that perfectly.
Track 11: “for you i had a feeling”
Undoubtedly my favourite track on “lemon gelato”, this tune doesn’t shy away from its direction: vocalist Rob Ellis confesses exactly what the title promises, while maintaining a bouncy and fun atmosphere wrapped in quintessential indie-pop sound.
I think this track’s place this late in the tracklist works especially well. After spending so much time with themes of infatuation, memory and growing through experience, as I interpret it, this direct confession carries more weight. Rather than feeling like a grand declaration, the song feels like a quiet realisation that sometimes you don’t fully understand what you felt until you start looking back on it.
Track 12: “what if”
Slowly drawing the album to a close, “what if” does what it says on the tin: it questions whether things could have turned out differently between two people. The track adds another layer of uncertainty to the album’s optimism, while staying firmly within Cassia’s bright, familiar sound.
Track 13: “be as you are”
A fitting closer to the tracklist, “be as you are” brings back elements from earlier songs, including the trumpets of “seeing things” and synths reminiscent of “2nd life”.
It feels like the final song chooses to look ahead rather than pondering about the past, leaving us with reflection and new lessons rather than regret. That attention to detail, both on this tune and across the record makes “lemon gelato” a brilliant introduction to Cassia’s work – take it from someone whose first exposure to the band was this album.
Released towards the end of summer, this record feels like the season encapsulated. Full of nostalgia, life lessons and great vibes, it ties everything together with production that rewards you for paying close attention.
For fans of sun-drenched, tropical-infused melodies and upbeat rhythms blended with classic indie-pop, “lemon gelato” is for you.
Listen to “lemon gelato” here!
Follow Cassia here!
