They’re just a couple of high school buddies from Boston – Jed Rouhana on vocals and keys, Sam Hamad on drums, bass, and guitar, Chris Link on guitar and bass. But like Spiderman, these guys have been pierced by something potent enough to send the whole town in shock: relevance. Their songs make sense. They synthesize the most interesting music they are listening to — whether it’s IDM, European DJs, or new bands — with songwriting that feels uniquely suitable to their experiences at the time. To Leisure, they believe that self-producing all of their music is manipulating their sound in a way that encapsulates the urgency of the era.
After sharing their CD with the band Girls at a show in Boston, Leisure was invited to tour with them the next week. According to the band, playing at large venues with Girls “made [Leisure] much more ambitious about the scope of [their] sound and potential.” They turned their focus to making music that felt of their time and projected their reality, rather than emulating “the current trend of nostalgia music.” Like the rest of us, this trend turned them off and encouraged them to be fresh, innovative, and culturally relevant.
Characterized by a poignant mesh of poise and perplexity, the track “Follow Me” plays with passion, confusion, and pity in a pulsing trance. As an eighteen-year-old, Jed Rouhana wrote the lyrics as a reaction to “anonymity and feeling ridiculous for trying to make everyone understand you when they never will.” The sly, surreal sound of the song hints at these contrary emotions. Everything tempts the listener to accept Rouhana’s desperate call for companionship as his hauntingly melancholy voice flows seductively over an inexorably building track.
“Green Light” caves in on Leisure’s dark past in an optimistic fashion. With themes about how stupid and boring it is to succumb to depression and lethargy, the song somehow spins your misery into a brisk reality. In songs like this, Leisure is able to turn vulnerability into something uplifting. This surreal journey has all the creepiness and beauty you could ever want in three and half minutes. And all the while, the stirring chorus begs for you to get something great out of life for the pure interest of it.
On the other side of their repertoire, “Early Morning Skies” is a momentous breakthrough. As the first song that gave Leisure a concrete path, “Early Morning Skies” elevates their self-worth to an utter invincibility. It feels cooler, heavier, fuller, and more confident, while still possessing that easy quality that makes Leisure so ultimately listenable. This transition to a stronger sound purely relates to them as a band. Funky and engaging, this song narrates a night with the guys, combining creativity and producing exceptional, relevant music.
The biggest key for Leisure will be to perfect their live show and settle into a comfort zone. They’re versatile — each of the three members plays almost every instrument for recording, but live they play with five people. So as a band still messing around with their sound — planning 7”” releases, remixes, music videos, constantly writing and experimenting with new music — they have time to grow. Listen in and you will agree… it’s looking like time will take them in the right direction.