Upon the announcement of the latest round of lockdown level four (or LockyD Episode IV, if you will) Tāmaki Makaurau-based producer Lemon Pepper (aka Flint Jackson) resolved to use this gift of otherwise illusive time with purpose and intent - to create - while the wage subsidy offered a minuscule lantern of optimism against the unending darkness of the dystopia of 2021AD. Time, as it tends to, began slipping between their fingers. 



As case numbers started to dwindle, ancient rites of savage sonic necromancy and beat reanimation were undertaken. As arpeggiators filled samplers with unnatural life, records of old danced anew in a West Auckland flat, spurred on by cabin-fever dreams and circular meme mirages.

What arose from this sonic sorcery lay somewhere toward the centre of the Venn diagram of the toxic concoction of 3-days-deep-at-a-music-festival sleep deprivation, the existential terror bought on by a whirring hard drive sounding the death knell of OSX’s beach ball of doom and the dire wish to emulate a cacophonic and quadruple tempo alternate-dimension iteration of Australian sample manglers The Avalanches.


“But how do I make this nausea-inducing, haunted-theme-park-ride of a song humorous and socially relevant, like one of those Yeehawtheboys comics?” Jackson pondered to themself. They then thought back to the final instance of pre-lockdown socialisation and watching the alert level change announcement at iconic Karangahape Rd bar Wine Cellar. As Jacinda Arden gingerly announced to the nation that they were collectively homebound for 14-40(somethingish and counting) days, the infinite bastion of knowledge and talent that is Priya Sami (BUB, Trip Pony) pointed out to the last minute revellers that it was quite amusing how often Arden told the population of Aotearoa to “go hard”. Eureka! The figurative lightbulb jolted on! The human lynchpin (and thus the song title) was impossible to deny; ‘Go Hard’ was born. 



As per their previous lockdown anthem ‘Punch Cones’, the song is a Baccanalic ode to revelry, as well an an amusing, atonal aural anecdote and as always, Lemon Pepper’s music poses more questions than it answerers. Is ‘Go Hard’ a rallying cry to get this lockdown done and a plea for residents of various affluent suburbs already flouting restrictions to steady their resolve in containing any and all potentially-disease carrying bodily vapour? Or is it merely an example of repeating a word or phrase so many times it loses all meaning and becomes nothing further than neanderthalic grunts? Is the populace going hard against the virus? Or is it going hard on the distant dream of level 1 dancefloors? As per, the answer lies only within your own heart after having experienced this otherworldly oddity. 


“I heard Jacinda likes Shapeshifter. My friend described this as kinda like jugglo drum & bass so if the ugg boot fits, wear it to your bubble rave, I guess. Go off, my leige”


The single is accompanied with by Jackson’s signature digital collage, this time comprised of various hard objects including an anvil, pouring concrete, adamantite ore (Runescape nerds will know) & Metapod from Pokemon using what is widely regarded as the most useless move of all time; Harden.

For optimal consumption of cultural zeitgeist, we recommend pairing listening to ‘Go Hard’ with reading parliamentary erotic fanfic Blooming Desire.