More about: LEISURE

With two full-length records already under their belt, New Zealand electronic pop groovers LEISURE returned this winter with the five-track EP Side A. The Auckland-based group first got together back in 2015 during a summer retreat, recalls band member Jaden Parkes. It soon proved to be a fruitful venture...

"I hired a holiday home to have a break from work on the west coast of New Zealand over summer, I asked a few friends if they wanted to join and write some songs while I was there. All the guys in LEISURE were the ones who came out and it all happened from there. One of the first ideas written was ‘Got It Bad’, our first single," Parkes says. 

After success with that inaugural single, which did large numbers on streaming services,  the band went on to release their self-titled debut record which reached number two in the official charts over in NZ. And with their chart success at home, the Kiwi five-piece began gaining traction globally through exposure on the likes of Spotify, which led to the group embarking on a European tour. At the time of 2019’s Twister, a long-term dream of recording in Paris was now a visible reality…

"Paris has always seemed a far-off romantic destination for us being on the other side of the world," Parkes explained, "it's also fitting for the nature of our music. When we booked a European tour, we decided to stay on and spend some time there to write. It was inspiring, surreal and a special realisation that our simple idea of writing songs as friends led us to one of the most beautiful places we had ever been creating music."

After releasing two full-length albums, you might be curious to know why the quintet returned this October with a five-track EP as opposed to a third record. Jaden explained: "Side A is the first half of our soon to come third album! We like to release songs as soon as we can after writing them, so we came up with the plan to release the record in a different way. Next year, a full-length album will be out and Side A of the vinyl will be these songs."

Here we take a deep dive into the story behind each track on the EP through Jaden’s own words:

'Slipping Away' - "This song was a favourite as soon as we wrote it, it came together really quickly and naturally as most of the best songs for us do, it set the tone and vibe for the rest of the record. We started with the guitar riff and built the song around it, all the vocals are from the demo when we first wrote it."

'Lonely Nights' - We’d been listening to a lot of Japanese city pop and some Bee Gees from the 70s which fed into the production of our EP - we originally wrote the song 10bpm slower. We came back to the idea at two in the morning a week later, sped it up to the same tempo as 'Staying Alive' and it locked into a different vibe for us: again it was written around the guitar riff. 

'Eye 2 Eye' - "The chorus and groove for this song was written in 2017, and we were never able to finish it but always loved the groove. We managed to be re-inspired by the demo recently, and it slotted in nicely with the new songs we were writing! The song continues the theme of wanting to be alone with someone special and everything else fading into the background."

'Spark it Up' - "We wrote this song in France just out of Paris in the countryside, it was one of the first ideas we wrote and really captured the environment - the bird / forest sounds I recorded on an iPhone and layered behind the track, each member of the band does a vocal section, Backstreet Boys style. An odd song but unique feel and one of our favourites partly due to the memories it brings back."

'Beautiful' - "Jordan wrote this song so quickly it seemed to flow out naturally and from the heart, we wrote this in France also and captured the feeling of being away and missing our loved ones so well. The track is an intimate play between two energies who are longing to be connected. A confident sense of clarity and perspective in articulating an extraordinary magnetism to this person. “Don’t be so shy, when I call you beautiful” is the sum of all of its nuances - an empowering sentiment of warmth and safety."

An interesting insight into a wondeful new record – and a tease for what's to come on Side B. Going off the back of the first five tracks we're sure to be in for a real treat in the new year.

"It's so special to be on a new journey with your good friends, making music and seeing new places," Parkes said. "We always have a great time and our shows and fans are always so nice and chill wherever we go. New Zealand is the best place on earth to be spending these crazy times, though we're really looking forward to releasing more music and travelling in the future."

Side A EP is out now via Nettwerk Records.

More about: LEISURE