REVIEW: Lloyd’s Money – ‘The Dawn’

For a band that’s been hovering between surf-soaked riffs and pop-punk urgency, Lloyd’s Money sound like they’ve finally planted their flag with ‘The Dawn’, a six-track release that feels both youthful and newly sharpened. It’s the first time the group have stepped out of DIY territory and into a studio environment, and that leap shows in both production polish and in the clarity of their songwriting.

Opener ‘Your Steps II’ revisits their earlier single, but with added bite. It’s a small-town love song that doubles as a cautionary tale, where every corner of the city carries the memory of a fling that refuses to fade. There’s that restless pop-punk pulse underpinning it, but it’s tempered with a tighter, more considered arrangement.

‘Radio’ keeps things brisk, a two-minute burst of wry self-awareness about aging out of the “young and reckless” lane before you even hit thirty. It’s a theme that lands because Lloyd’s Money treat it with humour rather than angst, letting surfy guitar tones keep the mood buoyant.

Then there’s ‘Seahorse Girl’, the EP’s most immediate crowd-pleaser, tipping its hat to the women who breathe life into the live scene. Equal parts playful and appreciative, it’s the kind of song built to soundtrack sweaty basement gigs and beer-soaked singalongs.

But where ‘The Dawn’ really broadens its palette is in its closing stretch. ‘Flowers’ sits in the hazy middle ground of half-love, half-loss; a jangly indie-rock moment that showcases a more reflective side of the band. And then comes the title-track: a ballad that trades skate shoes for something more cinematic. With ‘Jo’s Interlude’ easing into it, ‘The Dawn’ feels like a departure and a statement all at once, a reminder that carefree energy and emotional weight can coexist in the same breath.

What’s striking about this EP is the through-line of personality. Even at their most introspective, Lloyd’s Money radiate a looseness that feels distinctly theirs, the sense that these songs were built to live loud in a room full of friends. ‘The Dawn’ is the first time they sound fully themselves.