Nascent musical outfit Leaf Mosaic have made their debut into the world this week, sharing their first recorded effort by way of the enthralling “Bullet Train”, which sees its official release today.
The product of acclaimed musicians Matthew Sigley (The Daytime Frequency, The Earthmen, The Lovetones, et al.) and Josh Meadows (The Sugargliders, The Bell Streets, Secret Towns), the pair have played and performed together for many years (including as members of The Steinbecks), but Leaf Mosaic marks their first outing as collaborating songwriters.
With Sigley taking care of the musical side of things, and Meadows on lyrics, the pairing is not only one that works on paper, but one that delivers when it comes to the final product, with debut single “Bullet Train” serving as a smooth, breezy composition that would sit effortlessly in the record collection of any fan of New Order, Electronic, Stereolab, or even The Cure.
“The lyrics are part observation, part fantasy,” Meadows says of the Leaf Mosaic songwriting process. “We celebrate and memorialise things that are lost and out of reach because they contribute to what we are today.
“Matthew and I have a shared language and love of music that has made creating these songs an act of intuition and a great pleasure.”
“The song is built around an Oberheim DX drum pattern – the same drum machine used by New Order for Blue Monday – and a rising chord progression played on my Vox Continental organ,” Sigley explains of “Bullet Train”. “On top of that I layered some parts from a Roland Juno 106 and finished by playing a Rickenbacker bass and guitar part.
“Josh and I had long fantasised about doing a project along the lines of Bernard Sumner and Johnny Marr’s Electronic collaboration and the 2020 lockdown gave us the perfect time to start,” he adds. “I started writing music with Josh’s voice in mind and sent them through to him to weave his lyrical magic. During a lockdown reprieve Josh came over and recorded his vocals.”
Accompanying the release of “Bullet Train” is a Matt Doll-directed film clip which fuses VHS footage into a creation that is equal parts nostalgic and forward-thinking, providing a sublimely fitting visual component to the track.
While Leaf Mosaic are on track to release more music and video in the coming months, the pair will be officially releasing “Bullet Train” on Friday, March 5th on Bandcamp, which also coincides with Bandcamp’s monthly Bandcamp Fridays, which sees them waiving fees on the first Friday of each month.
Leaf Mosaic’s “Bullet Train” is out today.
