LEISURE are back with their first single of 2024, “Oh Why”.
The song, a collaboration with Australian indie duo Two Another, is the Auckland band’s first release since their fourth album, Leisurevision, dropped last year.
“The song is about the indecision of an early part of a relationship, wondering ‘should I stay or should I go.’ The pitched down ‘give me life, everlasting love’ acting as an inner monologue desire to wanting something real that will last,” LEISURE explain.
Two Another’s long-time collaborators, bassist Jarrol Renaud and keyboardist Danny Pliner, believed in the song from the start.
“From the beginning, the track had a laid-back, soulful vibe that needed the right vocal to bring it to life. We could never land on the right idea so when we started speaking to Leisure about a potential collab it immediately came to mind,” they say.
LEISURE add: “Two Another was a name we’d seen pop up alongside ours from early Soundcloud days. We were fans and had begun to notice a cross pollination amongst our fan bases. When they reached out with the idea to work on something, we didn’t hesitate, and the ideas started bouncing back and forth with ease. ‘Oh Why’ was born the first time we dug through a folder of the instrumental ideas they sent over. The bass was almost talking to us; faces scrunched, heads nodding as the melodies started flowing.”
LEISURE might not have been releasing music this year until now, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t been busy. The soul collective recently completed a European tour, including a sold-out show at London venue Electric Brixton, and their touring will continue with a run of US dates between July and August, including an appearance at Lollapalooza.
LEISURE released their fourth album, Leisurevision, last year, calling it “a record for groovers and shakers with introspection.” Leisurevision was the follow-up to 2021’s Sunsetter, which was released in the height of New Zealand’s lockdowns.
LEISURE’s “Oh Why” (ft. Two Another) is out now.
