Ryan Ayala’s vocals are what carry Are We Hunting’s “Lepers”: Soft, close, raw, and sitting right at the front of the mix. Layered background vocals stretch the sound wide, giving it an anthemic lift without losing its intimacy. There’s a subtle psychedelic edge to how they’re treated too, with just enough reverb and delay to make the vocals feel like they’re drifting slightly out of reach, which suits a song this personal.
The instrumentation stays patient underneath. Acoustic guitars carry a sweet, wistful tone that does a lot of the emotional work, while the drums stay slow, steady, and heavy, less about driving the song and more about holding it in place. The bass fills the space between, keeping things grounded and a little groovy even as the mood stays tender throughout.
The song carries real weight once you know that Ayala wrote it for his brother and father. It shows in how careful and unhurried everything feels. Nothing here is rushed or oversold. Ayala has built his cinematic, hook-driven style by pulling from Dylan, Tom Waits, and Modest Mouse in equal measure, gives the song room to breathe without ever tipping into melodrama.
“Lepers” is intriguing with generous songwriting, the kind of song built around two specific people that still manages to land on everyone else. Take a listen below.
Written by Toyo Senpai
