Set to release their third album Sunsetter on the 3rd of December, band LEISURE have left us mesmerized with their latest EP Side B via Nettwerk Music Group Inc. Each track on this EP feels like it was written on a tropical island getaway. Hazy guitar strumming and R&B beats fuse into one another like a delightful fruity cocktail. Consisting of band members Djeisan Suskov, Jaden Parkes, Josh Fountain, Tom Young, and Jordan Arts this New Zealand band are definitely going places with over 250 million collective streams across multiple music platforms. Amidst Covid restrictions, Sunsetter was written about connection and friendship. We have no doubts it is going to be just as heavenly as its predecessor.
We chatted with this delightfully laidback band LEISURE below.
Please describe your sound for us.
It’s a mix of everything we all listen to I suppose. We blend minimal psychedelic instrumentation with hip hop/soul beats and try to fine-tune them into catchy laid back pop songs.
How did it all start for you?
It started almost by accident. We were all friends and acquaintances before the band, suffering from a sort of creative burnout from other projects we had been working on individually. Jaden invited us on a writing holiday purely for fun and we ended up writing half our first album there.
What are some of your key influences in your music? Whether it be the sound created by others, imagery, films or any kind of art form.
I think musical influences for us are more of a subconscious thing. We’re never in the studio going “oh let’s make a song like so-and-so”. We always tend to aim for escapism and reflection in our music.
What is one sub-genre you think doesn’t get the attention it deserves?
I think the internet makes it easy for all kinds of niches to find their audiences these days.
Any new or upcoming artists on your radar?
Decius is a new electronic group with some members of Fat White Family and Paranoid London, they’re putting out some really cool stuff. OSS have just put out a great EP, ‘Disco Bombing’ is my favourite track. I really like Traffik Island too.
What single night out has been the most memorable for you? As a performer? As an attendee?
I think Berlin was one of our favourite shows. Half the audience were smoking weed and it was a real positive collective vibe.
What can we expect from you in the near future? Any upcoming projects in the pipeline that you would like to tell us about?
We have put out 2 EP’s over the past year which we will be combined (along with some more tracks) into our 3rd album titled Sunsetter. It’s going to be a pretty laid-back summer for us performance-wise due to Covid, so I suppose we will continue writing for album number 4!
‘Mesmerized’ features on the Spotify playlist POP_GROUND.fm
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