Sharing lineups with fellow rising stars, garnering acclaim from the music press and supported by BBC Introducing, Leon O’Leary is an artist who strikes the balance between indie-folk songwriting and cinematic arrangements. Playing at Latitude, Wild Paths and Lakefest, he’s set himself up as a one-to-watch both on the live circuit and through his recorded releases.
For his latest release, the Suffolk songwriter unveils the new EP ‘Pretend (To Be Saviours)’. The first and title track is the perfect introduction to his sound, with his passionate vocals crying out over the ebb and flow of climactic instrumentals, the packed drum rhythms, soaring guitar melodies and constant singalong capabilities opening the project with an anthem.
‘Got This Love For You’ is a passionate duet between O’Leary and Gyuri Baek, the pair expressing a hopefulness in their love-filled lyrics before the retro feelings of ‘She Knows Me’ take over, the balance of gritty rock aesthetics and tight, drum machine beats captivating the audience. ‘Hook, Line and Sinker’ is next, bringing back the raw presence of Leon’s vocal performances before ‘Firing Line’ shows off a softer, equally emotive and romantic side with ethereal guitar melodies lighting up the sky above his pure poetry.
Explaining the EP, Leon dives in, “The EP came about after I got the opportunity to get a track recorded and mixed by North Acre Studios (Jake Day) last year in February. I had finished writing and recording a demo for Pretend (To Be Saviours) around that time and decided to chose that song for the opportunity as I felt it was a real marker of the sound I have currently. I knew after recording the track that I didn’t want to just release another single, the opportunity given to me really was the gunshot that got me running to record my first EP.
The five tracks on the EP are a collection of works that reflect the sound and energy I’ve been searching for since I got my first electric guitar. Technically, they have no relevance to one another in terms of what they’re about or how they’re written but there is a reason why they’re together on this EP. I wanted to take all aspects of the music I love ranging from the poetical nature of songwriting found in folk, to the twangy, bluesy sounds of Americana and the anthemic energy of rock music. Even elements of some of my favourite pop music have been thrown into the mix too. This is what Pretend (To Be Saviours) is. My genre casserole. Barring Pretend, the rest of the tracks were recorded between my old college’s studio and my bedroom or lounge (so its kinda homemade). After mixing all the tracks – except Pretend – I finished the EP in August 2023, adding Got This Love For You as a final addition this year.”
‘Pretend (To Be Saviours)’ is out now!
