“Lemon Bops & Melon Drops” showcases Miss Cantaloupe’s musical versatility
Enter the fairy realm through the music of Miss Cantaloupe. This Pennsylvania pop band just released their new album, Lemon Bops & Melon Drops, at the end of 2023.
The Weekender’s taking a break from all the hard rock for a hot second to dive into some indie dream pop with Miss Cantaloupe. Emerging out of the Philadelphia region, this five-piece band just dropped ten new songs on their full-length sophomore record.
A group of musically-inclined friends came together to form the first version of Miss Cantaloupe. They’ve been playing together for seven years and their whole vibe is festival-perfect.
This energetic, eclectic band has been making their rounds in the local festival scene, playing Pine Ridge Festival, Beardfest, Threestival, Camp Jam In The Pines, and others. With their fresh album and live performances, this self-funded DIY band seeks to get themselves out there.
“I’ve always been into music, but it’s been in all different forms over the years” said singer and guitarist Christina Klaproth.
Exeter native, Christina Klaproth started out on piano and then moved to Philadelphia post-college where she was able to grow as an artist and as a person. “Philly is all about community,” said Klaproth.
There, she met her future fiancé and the drummer of Miss Cantaloupe, Sean Youngman. Youngman believed in Klaproth’s talent and taught her how to play guitar. With all the love and experience she already had in music, guitar came naturally and she started writing her own songs.
Christina Klaproth writes original lyrics for Miss Cantaloupe and many of their songs derive from ideas that come to her. Bassist, Mike Parisi is the band’s newest member and their new producer. He also began co-writing with Klaproth over the past year.
“I get really inspired by fantasizing,” said Christina. “Just kind of living in a place in my head that I can’t find here on earth.”
One of the most popular jams from the new album, “Trapped In a Tunnel,” is a melodic journey somewhere between reggae jam-band and psychedelic pop. It’s like Sublime meets Tove Lo. Klaproth penned this song travelling through the Lehigh Tunnel to visit home. And really we’ve all felt trapped in a tunnel at one point or another (especially that one), just waiting to greet a new day on the other side.
“Jewel in the Lotus” is a beautiful ballad for any hippie witch or wizard to start their day off on a perfect, slightly moody note. The song is a whole journey. It starts off with some pop-punk influences, builds into a whole new sound, and then the cello absolutely sends it home.
Miss Cantaloupe showcases their musical ability on Lemon Bops & Melon Drops by utilizing an assortment of both usual and unusual instruments; Cello, guitar, drums, flute, keys, glockenspiel, synth, slide whistle…you name it! Cellist and backup vocalist, Bexx Rosenbloom used a variety of percussion to achieve the funky sounds they were going for on this record. (I’m also told Bassist Mike Parisi will have the slide whistle at live shows.)
Then, “Lemon Baby” blends hip-hop bars from Christina Klaproth into the bubblegum pop dream. This catchy song is equally silly and masterful at the same time — featuring an astounding orchestra of instruments, including that slide whistle. This was my favorite track and I WILL be singing “Swallow a lemon seed, you’ll have a lemon bayy-beeeee” for days to come.
“I really like what I do because we get to exist in this world where a lot of people take this too seriously, but we’re just having so much fun and I just want to inspire other people to find something you can enjoy in life,” said Christina Klaproth. “This is my outlet.”
Before the end of 2023, Miss Cantaloupe also popped out a Christmas single called, “I Saw Mommy Smoke a Spliff With Santa Claus” to revamp the ol’ classic into something more…modernly festive. Throw that on next holiday season to ensure the family is awake.
Miss Cantaloupe has cultivated a strong community around their band as they’ve performed and grown. They look forward to booking more gigs so they can continue spreading that joy.
On May 17, Miss Cantaloupe is set to play The Lounge at World Cafe Live in Philly with Kate Dressed Up, then, they’ll return to Pine Ridge Music Festival for May 2024 in Albrightsville.
They’re also a big part of the annual Beardfest community in New Jersey where, they said even if they aren’t performing, they’ll be participating. Drummer Sean Youngman already applied to hold the first disk-golf tournament at Beardfest 2024 in June.
In addition to her role as singer/songwriter for Miss Cantaloupe, frontwoman Christina Klaproth also gets involved in the performing arts in other avenues. She performs with The Rock and Roll Playhouse in several cities where she sings Taylor Swift, ABBA, Fleetwood Mac, and other hits for the largest national kid-friendly live concert series.
“I love performing. This past year, I’ve been working with The Rock and Roll Playhouse where we do performances for families and kids. It’s really special,” said Christina Klaproth. “It’s just been a great crash course in performance for me and I’m just so excited to keep growing as performer because there’s always more you can do.”
Miss Cantaloupe’s main goal is getting more ears on their music. In the coming year they aim to extend their reach and play more East Coast festivals. They also plan to release a few more tracks in late summer/early fall 2024.
Klaproth said she’d love to fund her passion by getting their tunes licensed. She feels as though many songs off Lemon Bops & Melon Drops would work well cinematically on a movie or series soundtrack — and I’d have to agree. I could definitely see “Cocoon” fitting right into Juno or Euphoria.
“You’ve just got to put it out there!” said Christina Klaproth. Abundance is Christina Klaproth’s word for 2024. She recommends just staying focused on who you are and letting it flow from there.
Miss Cantaloupe is the band to watch as the spring/summer festival season draws near. Listen to Lemon Bob & Melon Drops on Spotify, Amazon, Apple, BandCamp, and other listening platforms and follow along with this talented, zany pop group as they rise.