Adult Leisure have released their second EP ‘Present State of Joy and Grief’.
Their second studio EP was recorded, produced and mixed by Ollie Searle at Humm Studios and mastered by Grant Berry (Boston Manor, Deaf Havana, Lottery Winners).
Speaking of the EP, the band said: “When we began working on what would become ‘Present State’, we set out to create a cohesive body of work that felt true to the band we are now and the place that we’re at in our lives. Lathered in waves of self reflection and acceptance of life’s heavy hands, our sophomore EP is drenched in honesty, whilst full of groove and fury in equal measure.”
To celebrate their EP release, Adult Leisure shared with us 5 tracks that influenced ‘Present State of Joy and Grief’.
The Cure – Lullaby | Listen via Spotify
I don’t necessarily think we have any songs at the moment that sound like ‘Lullaby’ or the Cure in general however, the instrumentation and guitar sound have a huge influence on us. We enjoy the idea of our songs being multi-layered with no real instrument taking the forefront, more of a collage of different melodies mixing together. I think more importantly The Cure and this song in particular create such strong imagery that we can only try and emulate.
The Smiths – This Charming Man | Listen via Spotify
It’s quite passé now for bands to speak about The Smiths and more importantly Johnny Marr and the influence they’ve had, but I think that’s what makes an iconic band iconic. The fact that they are now just a mental screensaver for most indie bands. The biggest takeaway we have from The Smiths is the idea that the guitar is no longer there purely to show off or just play a solo but to be melodic and interesting. Another characteristic is the dark lyrics contrasting with what could be considered very pop orientated music.
Green Day – Burnout | Listen via Spotify
Nowadays Green Day wouldn’t be considered a very cool entry on this list, but their early stuff and the scene they came from was so exciting. I think people forget they were once a very raw and exciting band. Whilst we sound nothing like them there’s always a lingering feeling of ‘how will our songs come across live?’ ‘do they have that energy?’ ‘are they engaging?’ And most importantly ‘is it catchy?’. They were the kings of the 3 minute power pop song that inspired a whole generation after them and especially us.
Talking Heads – Seen and Not Seen | Listen via Spotify
We could have chosen any song from any point of their career as they are just incredible but, the intertwining of melodies/sounds and haunting chorus hook of this song is everything we’d love to try and do. It creates a feeling of anemoia and comforts you. It’s one of those special songs that Talking Heads had in abundance and which most bands would give anything to be able to create.
Paulo Nutini – Acid Eyes | Listen via Spotify
We try and hold strong pop sensibilities in our music but always try and convey a personal and deeper meaning. This song and the latest album is surprisingly a perfect blend of this. It was so surprising to hear a brutally honest sound from someone who was introduced to the world as a “pop star” the production to the songwriting his whole album is really amazing.
Listen to Adult Leisure ‘Present State of Joy and Grief’ via Spotify below:
Listen to the influences behind the EP: