The Lemon Grove Unleashes Heart-Wrenching New Single "Pain Knows Your Name" and Connects on Its Emotional Depth in New Interview
- STAFF
- Sep 18
- 8 min read
By: Staff
“Pain Knows Your Name” is a breathtaking, genre-defying masterpiece that masterfully captures heartbreak's chaos and raw intensity.
Get ready to immerse yourself in a whirlwind of emotion, chaos, and raw vulnerability as The Lemon Grove drops their new single, “Pain Knows Your Name.” A hauntingly honest exploration of heartbreak, this track is a jagged ride through tumultuous thoughts and feelings, all wrapped in a sound that’s as unpredictable as the emotions it captures.
We spoke with the creative force behind this enigmatic duo, whose music pushes boundaries and refuses to settle into any one genre. With their unique blend of alternative pop and art pop, The Lemon Grove thrives in moments of emotional contradiction, pulling listeners into the maelstrom of isolation, anger, and longing. Their new song offers a glimpse into the intense, fractured state of mind that comes with the end of a relationship, shifting seamlessly between fierce anger, desolate acceptance, and a longing for resolution.
“Pain Knows Your Name” is not just a breakup song, it’s a vivid emotional experience, filled with impulsive cries, shifting moods, and a melody that refuses to be contained. The vocals twist and turn, capturing the frantic pace of a mind caught between regret and hope, while the music itself is just as complex, blending unexpected sounds and structures in a way that’s uniquely The Lemon Grove.
In our conversation, the duo opened up about the chaotic process behind this track, the mental states that inspired it, and how they balance personal vulnerability with the need to create something fresh and unpredictable. Their commitment to raw expression and genre-defying experimentation is evident in every note of their music.
Dive deeper into the minds behind The Lemon Grove in this exclusive interview, and experience the full emotional weight of their latest creation.
Keep scrolling to get into it with The Lemon Grove.
Here’s how it went:
Begin Interview:
Hello The Lemon Grove, we’re thrilled to have you here for this interview! We've had an amazing time exploring your music and diving into your creative journey. Now, we’re even more intrigued to get a deeper look into both your brand and your personal and professional inspirations.
Q. Can you tell us the names of the individuals who represent The Lemon Grove, and what roles do each of you play in bringing the project to life? What are the main contributions each of you brings to the table?
A. Sure! We’re Elina Klén and Lasse Warjus. Oh and by the way, thank you so much for having us! Elina writes and composes the songs and records all the vocals. Lasse arranges and records all the guitars—acoustic, semi-acoustic, electric and lap steel—as well as the bass. He even taught himself theremin for two of our upcoming tracks. The rest of the arrangements
often come from our shared experimentation, though more often than not Lasse handles the drums while Elina takes care of the strings.
Q. "Pain Knows Your Name" dives deep into raw emotion. The tension between self-reflection, anger, and yearning is palpable throughout. Can you share more about the song’s origin? Is it inspired by personal experience, or did you witness someone else’s journey through this kind of emotional turmoil?
A. Elina: It’s based on a real breakup from years ago, but I remember the feelings vividly—every coping mechanism firing at once to keep me from drowning: accusations, denial, false hope. Writing the song felt like trying to capture multiple streams of thought at the same time—hope, anger, detachment, and contempt all begging for attention. I remember days blurring together and feeling unsure about which messages I had actually sent and which ones existed only in my imagination.
Q. The song's opening is chaotic, both musically and vocally, with lines like "So are you coming back — don’t come back" that perfectly encapsulate that emotional duality we’ve all experienced mid-argument. Is this approach a hallmark of your style, or does it represent a new direction for your music?
A. It quickly became a hallmark for us, both musically and lyrically—it just fascinated us. We’re both novelty seekers, so once we start experimenting, we can’t stop; we even lose sleep over it. By our fourth song, we realized that this love of contrasts—shifting moods mid-song, blending genres like country and dubstep, or letting the narrator swing between extremes—had already become part of our signature style.
Q. The vocal performance is technically stunning, but it’s the emotional delivery that goes even to the next level, with swift tonal shifts, powerful crescendos, and almost a psychotic rhythm that feels like you’re changing course mid-thought. How did you prepare for this vocal styling? It really elevates the impact of the lyrics, especially the long cries. What was your thought process behind that?
A. Elina: Thank you—that means a lot. Honestly, I struggled at first because the verses sit a bit low for my range, so I spent some time experimenting until I found a way to make those sections work. Everything started to fall into place once I stopped overthinking and just followed the nervous energy of the song. The long cries actually came from improvisation, but in my mind, I always imagined the narrator walking toward their now ex-partner’s home, then screaming into a megaphone in the second verse. That visual really guided how I delivered those moments, even though it didn’t literally happen.
Q. The artwork for the single feels layered with subtle references. The old 70s green phone, the hearts on the dress, and the full black outfit. Do these elements serve as a visual extension of the song’s message, and what do they symbolize in relation to the track?
A. We put a lot of thought into the artwork—scouting locations, testing lighting, poses, and props. The photo needed to reflect key elements from the song. Since we imagined the lyrics as one side of a phone call, a telephone was essential, and the song title matches the phone’s color to highlight that connection. It had to be a green Ericsson too, because we both had one growing up. The clothing ties into the lyrics, where “hearts” alternate with “darkness,” while the rough concrete floor adds a sense of discomfort that fits the mood.
Q. The phrase “Pain Knows Your Name” feels almost like a permanent wound, a reminder of lifelong struggles. Did the title come to you first, or did the message within the song shape that choice? How does it encapsulate the essence of the song’s emotional landscape?
A. Elina: The song was originally called Turn The Page—but only because I had to name a file quickly while saving it—but later we realized the most powerful part, both melodically and thematically, is captured in the phrase Pain Knows Your Name. It reflects the inevitability of that other person in your life, now replaced by a kind of pain that feels permanent.
Q. Where does the initial process of creating your music begin? Do you typically start things in your home studio, or do you collaborate with an outside producer? And when it’s time for final touches, do you handle mixing and mastering, or do you work with others to perfect it?
A. Our music can begin anywhere—during sleep, in a grocery store, or any inconvenient place. Often, we’ll send each other little messages like, “Hey, what if we add a kind of ’frog on drugs’ sound here?”—and that excitement quickly grows into a snowball, taking the song in unexpected directions. Some tracks have come together very fast, especially when we were in a bit of a mania, generating ideas and bouncing them back and forth, each one building on the other. For us, that collaborative and often playful ideation is one of the best parts of making music. We have a phrase we repeat over and over: “Let’s just focus on this song for now.” And yet, the next day, one of us inevitably comes up with an idea for a new song that we simply can’t ignore.
Q. The supporting musical arrangement in this song is both unique and engaging, keeping the listener hooked despite its complexity. How did you manage to balance such an intricate structure while maintaining a rhythmic, catchy flow? Was that a challenge for you?
A. It was definitely a challenge, and it took quite a while to get it right. We experimented with a lot of ideas—at one point, the song even had an instrumental intro that only got cut fairly late in the process. Several other sections were also removed, shortened, or rearranged along the way. But we’ve had some practice with this kind of thing since many of our other songs also have similarly complex structures.
Q. When someone meets you for the first time and asks what kind of music you make, what do you say? Given the depth and layers in your work, is it easier or harder to explain your sound to someone who hasn’t heard it before?
A. I think after some experimentation we’re settling somewhere in the realm of alternative pop or art pop. Our songs often start with a mental state we want to capture—isolation, rejection, detachment, anger—and then we pull in whatever musical elements best bring that feeling to life. Sometimes it leans dreamy, sometimes jagged or playful, but there’s always a pop backbone holding it together.
Q. Are there any lyrics in this track that hit especially hard for you, or sum up the heart of the message but are slightly obfuscated purposely so they need explanation, or did you lay it all out? If you did lay it all out, does it ever feel difficult to reveal so much of yourself in such a comment- and judgment-driven world, or do you find it liberating to express that level of vulnerability through your music?
A. Elina: We did lay it all out. Some of the lyrics hit hard because they came straight from that whirlwind of emotions during the breakup. I didn’t try to hide much, but the way the thoughts jump around mirrors how chaotic everything felt at the time. At best, my mind is like sitting in a car with the scenery constantly shifting outside the window—you can imagine how fast it was moving during this crisis. It does feel vulnerable to put that out there, but it was also liberating to get the words down. It was like capturing the entire mess of emotions before they slipped away or got sugarcoated in hindsight. The line “you made your nonchalance a weapon in this” hits especially hard because I remember breaking down in front of the other person while their eyes stayed cold and unmoved—a pain I’ll never forget.
Q. Outside of music, who or what has played the biggest role in shaping your personal growth or artistic perspective?
A. Elina: My songs have always been a step ahead of me. As an anxious teenager, I wrote about restlessness, identity crises and turbulent relationships without even realizing I was writing about myself. Songwriting became a way to give voice to parts of me I had long kept unspoken, creating a sense of distance that somehow brought me closer to the truth. And I’ve never stopped writing since. Working as psychologists has also had a profound impact on both of us, especially when it comes to our music. Many of our songs center on the intricacies of someone’s inner world—their mental state, their struggles. And, of course, the adversities we’ve each faced in our own lives have profoundly shaped the emotional landscape of our music.
Q. What do you hope people take away from hearing “Pain Knows Your Name,” and what would you like them to remember about you after reading this interview?
A. We hope people walk away feeling like the song gave shape to something messy they’ve felt themselves—that cocktail of rage, hurt, denial, and dark humor that only comes from heartbreak. Maybe some will recognize those late-night monologues when you can’t decide if you want them back or want them erased.
And if there’s one thing to remember about us, it’s that we feel most at home giving voice to those unguarded, unfiltered streams of thought—and we want that same sense of unpredictability to run through our genre-blurring songs. We like to be surprised too about where our next track takes us.
Q. We love the name The Lemon Grove. Can you tell us the story behind how you chose it?
A. This is an easy one - we both just really, really, really love lemons. :D Limoncello is Lemon Grove’s official drink!
The Lemon Grove, thank you so much, we appreciate you taking the time to talk to us!
End Interview
