This is a soft-paced dream of a song where hazy, close-mic vocals breathe intimacies to a beckoning ear.
Austrian group Leyya have been honing their craft for close to a decade and – having graced stages in over 20 countries across the world – know a thing or two about drawing an avid listener in. It begins with beguilingly soft-strummed acoustic guitars – all indie pop nostalgic atmospheres – before rhythms build and synthetic sounds drawn from contemporary pop and nineties dance music fizz and intertwine within the dream pop soundscapes. A song nominally about social awkwardness there’s nothing awkward about its composition or delivery, singer and lyricist Sophie Lindinger possessing a confidence of expression throughout. Melodies cling without ever being saccharine – Austrian vowels shaping lyrical lines that continue to entwine. There’s something reminiscent of Sibylle Baier in Lindinger’s curiously whispering intimacies but the song itself takes on completely different sonic textures and pop sensibilities. This is aiming for a wide audience not something to be lost and then hopefully found. It’s a strange synthesis of Europop pulses, dance-pop dynamics and softly beautiful acoustic melodies. Lindinger’s voice really is a beckoning thing – occasionally processed or multi-tracked but always offering connection.
What Did I Do Wrong – the accompanying release – offers a colder, more reverb-drenched world, its rhythms spidery and electronic with occasional subtle samples further bolstering the sonic landscape. Lindinger’s voice is enveloped in 80s reverb – almost Madonna-esque in tone- as slow, brittle underlying eroticisms shiver beneath. There is an aching sadness and detached resignation burned within the melody but what a voice it is delivered in – pure, elegant, rich in emotion without ever straying far from its whispered confessionalisms; it is the potency of this voice that lingers- it is the thing that draws you in most.
If you are new to Leyya’s world these tracks are a great starting point – particularly I Don’t Hug So Well. If you’re already familiar, this is a welcome home to return to.
Written by M.A Welsh (Misophone)
Music | Misophone (bandcamp.com)
