As we hide ourselves in the last of the melting snow
The Leisure Society might seem like a tongue-in-cheek name for your band when the daytime occupation of the frontman is at a fabric and wallpaper warehouse. Although Nick Hemmings has been making music for the better part of fifteen years, of course there are bills to pay and for now he does it through labor, not leisure.
But that may be fixing to change, as Hemmings and Leisure Society were nominated recently for the British Ivor Novello Award for The Last of The Melting Snow — “Best Song Musically and Lyrically.” There’s a lush and gorgeous loveliness to their sound, with rootsy warmth lying just beneath the surface. On this track I can almost hear the last rivulets running off the tin roof and dripping onto the bed of pine needles outside; the end of a very long winter.
The Last Of The Melting Snow – The Leisure Society
Their debut album The Sleeper is out now on Rough Trade; The Independent wrote, “It’s a uniquely British take on Americana: almost as if Scott Walker or Nick Drake had ‘gone country,’ making music for coalminers rather than cowboys.” I also hear distinct flourishes of simplified American ’50s summery-pop on tunes like “A Matter of Time,” like the Brit answer to Grizzly Bear’s aesthetic — listen here.
This album is a magical listen from start to finish. It makes me feel all golden warm, and drowsy with good dreams.
Name: Heather Browne
