Review Summary: Who knew gentle tendencies could hit so heavily?
The meaning of traits such as strength and confidence can be an interesting debate. Usually, symptoms of said mannerisms are usually associated with characteristics such as outgoing, sociable, extroverted, etc. But features like level-headed, and calmness can also be linked with confidence as well. Without rambling too far off-topic, powerful certitude does not always have to be aggressive, and upfront all the time.
Leisure’s ’Sunsetter’ is an album that exemplifies this previously mentioned argument. With smooth, grounded conviction, this is not a record that uses the average tricks to convert a firm influence. According to general sources, Leisure is a band originating from New Zealand. Their genre of music consists of an eccentric mix of alternative funk, R&B, pop, and jazz. Formed around 2015, the sound is sourced from traditional instruments with guitars, drums and bass, along with other unorthodox elements such as keyboards, synthesizers, and even small hints of brass instrumentals. It seems their style of music is not easy to interpret. Their sound could be classified in many different genres.
From the first seconds, the first track of the album, “Slipping Away” kicks in. With its funky guitar and bass line accompanying the exhilarating use of horns, this is hands down one of the top two songs on the album. At this point, you are thrown into an entirely new dimension, and the tone is set for the universe you are about to participate in. If you ever played Gran Turismo 7, you’d notice one of the soundtracks from the famous racing game series feature “Take Me Higher”, one of the songs featured both in said video game and this album. It was surprisingly intriguing in the way it sounded so dreamy, yet impactful in its own way. The entirety of this album could be taken as visionary and potent. Because of this, listening to ‘Sunsetter’ can be an out of world experience.
A metaphorical picture for the totality of ‘Sunsetter’ is like a Sunday afternoon drive in a fancy sports car with the top down, while wearing an expensive suit on your way to an important business meeting at an art museum, all while feeling like you’re worth a million bucks. You can’t help but be relaxed, and still intrigued during the listening process. Overall, the music in this album can be described as mellow, relaxing, and glamorous. Despite these descriptions, it still results in an eye-opening experiment. Leisure is a band in their own planet. Who knew gentle tendencies could hit so heavily?
As a whole, ‘Sunsetter’ is a record with high class, and vivid, fancy energy. This is an album with contradictory elements that are not supposed to work in theory, but end up developing an interesting piece of art. Leisure as a band do a fine job at creating impactful hitters with an abnormal style. Leisure’s approach to music may be a bit quirky, weird, and non-traditional, but they have created a good collection of sounds here. Their ability to make head bobbing music is difficult to explain. The sound can be described as energetic, yet chilled and calm simultaneously. They have the ability to make heavily imprinting songs, but not in a way that is expected. ‘Sunsetter’ is an unconventionally provoking record that could appeal to many types of listeners due to its diverse palette of genres. If given a fair chance, its possible for ‘Sunsetter’ to hypnotize it’s listeners, creating inner tranquility by utilizing a quiet strength that is underrated in today’s world. Gentle, soft spoken confidence is a deceivingly underestimated trait. Many of us never realize this, but it’s great that Leisure is one of the few exceptions to combat this norm. ‘Sunsetter’ is a heavy hitting piece of art that’s easy on the ears. For individuals looking for a complex, and interesting sound, Leisure’s album has an eye opening piece of work that might catch anyone off guard in an incredibly pleasant manner.
