With heavy airplay of his good-vibe beats, it’s no surprise that many have been eagerly awaiting Muscles’ debut release. The Melbourne based singer/songwriter has built up a dedicated core group of fans around the dance scenes of Melbourne and Sydney, and topped it all off with a successful spot on the bill at the Parklife Festival. But the studio is a different medium to the live scene and with the excitement comes some trepidation. Thankfully, Guns Babes Lemonade does not disappoint on the live promise.

All the major elements of your good-time dance record are here. Right from the get go, Muscles states his intentions with the opening track ‘Ecstasy’, promoting love-dance and heavy beats. The listener is instantly transported back into the heart of the nineties electronic scene with a multitude of layered synthesizers and standard four-on-the-floor drumbeats. However Guns Babes Lemonade defines its individuality by concentrating more on personal experience than the arrogance and cliche of most party albums today.

Rather than lamely stating his affection for good drugs and tight beats, Muscles creates situations many of us can relate to easily. From your average backyard BBQ, hanging out with friends at a club, and even elements of his own personal paranoia (“he could have a knife/stab me in the gut/bleeding on the floor/shoulda kept my mouth shut”), the lyrics of the album reflect the small details of everyday experience, flared under a catchy dance style.

Musically, it appears that Muscles was never a fan of the artistic statement “less is more”, and he tries his best to go about disproving this theory. Sampling a plethora of pops, whirs and buzzes, reminiscent of favourite childhood toys – including the rocket clock from Playschool –  the album is a rather ‘all in’ affair. In the case of ‘Lauren from Glebe’, the out-of-tune “woos” and various “woops” are worked into a beat an average rock fan could be seen banging his head too, the pairing surprisingly effective. Along with the playfulness that dominates the album, there are some more sinister elements that colour the record, ‘The Lake’ dark enough to send a shiver down the spine.

At times, however, these swirls of noise are heavy handed, the track ‘Jerk’ being the most glaring example of this. At these points it seems that many elements have been added purely because Muscles has the ability to do so, rather than choosing what is necessary for the good of the song. Fortunately though, these moments are few and far between.

Guns Babes Lemonade is a good turn for the general dance scene because it no longer concentrates on the superiority of the person making the music, but rather reflects on universal experiences. This alone, regardless of it’s infectious beats, makes the record a success.