LEISURE
It's the year 2023, also known as the year of Leisurevision, as the New Zealand collective returns with their 4th studio album titled as such.
In a world preoccupied with instant gratification and overnight success, LEISURE has 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.
This ethos underpinned their critically acclaimed debut record, a hazy collection of funk-laced basslines and breathy vocals that make you want to crack open a cold one while floating down a river. Their follow-up album Twister chucked this ethos in the blender, juxtaposing their chilled spirit with lyrics that trace the anxieties plaguing modern life.
Third studio album Sunsetter was a 12-track release and a culmination of their 2020/2021 EPs 'SIDE A' and 'SIDE B'. As the world provided its challenges, the group decided to release the record in phases, "We wanted to release music that really made us 'feel' something, in real time, as we created it".
Hopeful that their musical vibrations would "accompany the human spirit on the escalator to the mad world ahead", the album provided a deep dive into immersive waters, playing thematically between consciousness and unconsciousness, embracing challenges and moving forward for the betterment of oneself.
400+ million streams later and sold-out dates throughout NZ, Australia, UK, Europe, and now USA, they're doing something right.
A colorful new season is ushered in with Leisurevision, encapsulated by the color Green, symbolic of growth, renewal, and rebirth. 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.
Beginning with sun-drenched single 'Always', the collective first pays homage to their loved ones before Leisurevision dives into their collective human experience and all the hope, joy, chaos, and euphoria it entails.
The warm and cozy 'All The Good Times Never Die' holds close the positive moments in life, pushing them to the forefront of the memory bank for strength to hold on. 'Above Me' yearns for hope and guidance, and the belief in something beyond ourselves, while 'Too Much' covers being overwhelmed by both the responsibilities and the ever-accelerating pace of modern life.
'Mellow' is a sonic relaxant that plays at the idea of a paradise within your own confines, while the anthemic 'Still Rolling' celebrates the feeling of knowing someone has your back no matter what situations you find yourself in.
'Flame' thematically strives to be the best version of oneself, playing around with delay effects and feedback automation where they coined the term 'Shroomzy'. A term that has become a staple descriptor in the collective ever since.
While 'Back In Love', the horn-infused cinematic crooner is a reminder that no matter what life throws at you, you can always find your way back.
It's this unique LEISURE-ly brand of soul-searching electro-funk and shoegaze that has charmed fans around the world. They're going the distance at their own pace, in their own way, and they invite you to join them in this top-down, riding the freeway into the sunset, playing your favorite song kind of feeling with Leisurevision.
