LEISURE drops sonic manifesto: Leisurevision
In the ever-evolving landscape of New Zealand music few bands have left as indelible a mark as Leisure. In response to the imported ‘songs of the summer’ that often grace the airwaves, Leisure has brought an exciting and genre-bending lens to high production pop, one that blends experimentation with experience.
Since their formation in 2015, the collective have formed an efficacious musical comradery that has accumulated in the release of their musical manifesto, Leisurevision. The album, released on September 28, is the refinement of a sound they have been methodically polishing since the release of their self-titled debut in 2016. Leisure are the sonic equivalent of mānuka honey; sweet, scrumptious, and with a special quality of high international demand.
The release of Leisurevision is accompanied by stops at The Powerstation, Hunter Lounge, and The Isaac Theatre Royal, before the band begin the international leg of their release tour. I was lucky enough to catch up with Tom Young, one of the band's core members, to talk about Leisurevision and what’s in store on the road.
Photography by Frances Carter
The formation of The Leisure Collective was as much a product of success in the music industry as it was a response to it. “I mean, it was kind of birthed out of a bad taste in our mouths from the music industry. These projects that start from love, just get kind of eaten by this machine,” Tom recounts, “We just wanted to start something that we could control both creatively and narratively, regardless of numbers, stats, and other people's decisions." Tom, along with other band members, had previously been part of successful musical endeavours such as Goodnight Nurse and Kids of 88. “We first went away [on a writing retreat], we had the loose idea of being a songwriting team and writing for other artists, and then at the end of that trip we were like, oh, man this sounds like a band!”
With Leisurevision the band has entered a new phase. Tom describes it as an evolution and distillation of their sound. "It's like Leisure in 4K," he quips. The album delves into the complexities of long-term relationships and the challenges that come with them. “It just feels rich to me. I mean, we tend to think about long term relationship stuff, when you’re passed all the initial stages and it gets into the fucking dirty bits about what happens when you've been together for five years. We're kind of moving into those stages of our lives where it's not all fun stuff, but it's just how do we kind of continue the way we started? Because we've got kids now, like all of us, it does cut out heaps of the peripheral bullshit.” The evolution of lyrical themes seem to have mirrored the group’s personal growth over the last four projects. Sonically, the album is the expertly polished piece we have come to expect from the collective, Tom adds that there has been added importance on creative direction, “I think it sounds sonically really great - and the artwork that Jordan did really suits it as well.”
Tom explains that the creative process behind Leisurevision was a mix of studio sessions and online collaboration. Unlike their process on early albums like Twister, there has been less of a focus on writing retreats, and a bigger focus on making collaboration work with their lives. “Sunsetter was recorded just after COVID. We probably did half of that album through Zoom, which kind of just showed us that we could do it that way and with the kids and the families it was just convenient to carry that on. Probably half of it was done just through emails and adding parts, and you know, that kind of thing,” Tom adds, "With the writing retreats, there's a lot of drinking involved, which can be two steps forward, one step back sometimes." Maybe there is such a thing as too much Leisure, or as I am corrected “Too much of a good thing.”
Although each member of Leisure is a multi-instrumentalist, Wikipedia lists Tom Young as the band’s bass player. “I was playing guitar before the band but I really like playing the bass. It's underrated and it's super fun and It doesn't give me arthritis, which is fantastic.” With all the talent under one roof, I was keen to ask how he sees his role in the writers room. “I kind of like music that's quite simple,” Tom explains, “Whenever I'm making stuff, I try to take out as much as I can. Even if I start off layering shit up just to try and catch a vibe, then at some point I'm just like, ok, how much can I take out?” You can totally hear how this process of push and pull experimentalism shines through on Leisurevision, where each song’s creative elements are refined into their final form.
With the upcoming tour, Tom says the band is just excited about reconnecting with their fanbase and exploring how it has grown. "I think [I’m equally excited for] everywhere because it's been so long since we played like a headline show," he says. “It will be interesting to see who's coming out.”
Thank you to Tom, for chatting to us. You can check out Leisurevision on all streaming platforms right now!
Leisure will be playing in Christchurch at the recently upgraded venue of The Isaac Theatre Royal October 6, along with Hunter Lounge, Wellington on the 7th, and Auckland’s Powerstation, Friday the 13th of October.
Tickets can be found at Banished Music