LEISURE - Leisurevision (Album)
Auckland favourites, the leisure infused soul-electronic collective LEISURE unveil their experiential fourth album ‘Leisurevision’, out 29th September on Nettwerk.
A colourful new season is ushered in with Leisurevision, encapsulated by the colour green - symbolic of growth, renewal, and rebirth - a calming and harmonious colour, representing balance, peace and tranquility. Musically, the album takes inspiration from various eras — from the smoothness of seventies blue-eyed-soul to the romantic energy of early eighties post-disco, locking in with mid-nineties hip-hop drum programming and glued down with what has become somewhat of a signature lush LEISURE guitar sound heard across their discography.
According to the band, Leisurevision “navigates the human experience, and all the hope, joy, chaos and euphoria it entails.”
Many different themes are explored, from the tender tones of ‘Last Dance’, which focuses on a single electric moment on the dancefloor, to the crooning late night single ‘Back In Love’ (championed by Deb Grant at BBC 6 Music, who “absolutely fell in love with it”) which explores the trials and tribulations of navigating parenthood with a lover. Other highlights include the understated but powerful message of ‘Too Much’, a song about being overwhelmed by both the responsibilities and the ever accelerating pace of modern life, and the floating calm of ‘Level’, which ponders being content whilst also looking to the future.
Other previously released singles include the emotional ‘Above Me’ released earlier this month, ‘All The Good Times Never Die’, the sublime collaboration with Night Tapes, and lead album single ‘Always’, a blissed-out pop gem released in June. The release of Leisurevision will also be accompanied by a headline tour in autumn spanning across North America and Canada - with dates already sold out in New York, LA, San Francisco, Toronto and Vancouver.
In a world preoccupied with instant gratification and overnight success, LEISURE have been taking the scenic route. The five members - and mates - came together in 2015 on a spontaneous trip up New Zealand’s ragged west coast. At that stage, they’d independently spent years churning through the music machine’s tight jaws. Individually, the five are award winning songwriters, producers and creatives. Together, they resolved to carve out a new musical paradigm: cut the crap, enjoy the ride and above all, keep it LEISURE.