Look, I've made no attempts to hide how I feel about Leisure Hour. If you check out the recent interview Raegan Gordon (drummer/vocalist/baddie) did with Shannon Elaine for NAPNET, you can read the gushy love letter I snuck in at the top. But what is it that makes me love this band so fiercely?
I think it's the mix of ultra talented musicians, raw emotion and killer hooks. But then again it's so much more than that. It's the sense of community they build, the support for the scene they drive forward, and the showmanship that goes into their performances. Or I don't know, maybe it's just a love that transcends words.
Whatever it is, I'm a Leisure Hour baddie through and through.
In the interview we published earlier this week, Raegan talked about the band and how they define their genre:
We started calling ourselves variety emo because we feel like our music sounds like all of our favorite genres with the heart of emo in it. I think us having three lead vocalists with three different styles also adds to the variety of our band. I think we're always shooting to be different and owning it, which we believe is what will set this record apart from your standard emo record.
After listening to the new album ...that one day, the truth of that statement is evident. The range is tangible - from in your face, fast paced pop punk to midwest emo and everywhere in between. Every song stands alone as a powerful and enjoyable piece, but when they're all put together they just work. And they work beautifully.
I think Leisure Hour the band is the same. Isaiah Neal, Grace Dudas and Raegan Gordon could each put out music individually and there's no doubt in my mind that it would be amazing. But together? They have magic.
Here's my track by track review of ...that one day - an album that has quickly taken the lead for album of the year for me.
Am I Dumb?
This single was released almost three months ago and I have not known a moment of peace since. The vocal line is just so catchy and so upbeat for a song that speaks right into my own self doubts.
"All my life my family told me I was the smart hard working one, but now I'm 26 and poor and forced to ask, 'wait am I dumb?'"
I haven't been 26 for a long time, but I resonate with this song in the worst ways. "All my mistakes lead me to hard earned lessons that fail to stick and help" might as well be my mantra, and it's a universally felt truth. How many times do we have to stumble and fall before we figure this out?
But self-deprecation aside, this is the perfect opener for the album. It's a fast paced banger that immediately grabs your attention, from the first time the question is asked to the last.
Isaiah Neal:
I was challenging myself to write a fast punk song and this is what came out. People really seemed to immediately connect to the lyricism. It’s an interesting spot to be 26 and still partying like you're 20. That’s what the song is about.
The Ballad of Floyd Padgent
"Oh my god, we did it again."
If you've ever felt stuck in a bad relationship or friendship, the first song on the album with Raegan lead vocals is going to resonate with you. Another unhealthy cycle to be stuck in, the rut of trying again and again to fix the unfixable is something that many people will understand.
Beyond the lyrics, the layers of vocals on this track are a glimpse into the teamwork that lives at the core of Leisure Hour. And the raw emotion behind the screams tears right through me.
I've been here before, I've felt this before, and I know the rollercoaster ride that is an on again off again friendship.
Raegan Gordon:
This song is about the cycle you can get into when having a turbulent relationship or friendship and no matter how desperately you wish things were different you’re finding it hard to figure out how to get there. I also have had moments in my life where friendships have ended and that was the conclusion, so this song explores about one not mending and learning how to accept it and continue living with the grief of it ending.
Hot Mess
This track takes a breath and slows down the pace set by the first two songs in a way that draws out a lot of powerful feelings.
The song walks through anger and depression and a desperate struggle to grasp for control of one's emotions. Just like "Am I Dumb?" was an introspective look at feeling stuck in a never ending cycle of bad decisions, and "Floyd Padgent" was a look at the vicious cycle of a bad relationship, "Hot Mess" looks at the whirlpool of emotions we often end up in that feels inescapable in the moment.
And the bridge is devastating.
Grace perfectly delivers the line "I can tell by the look in your eyes you don't need to think twice, don't wanna see me tonight," and follows it up with a repeated declaration - "Just need you tonight, don't wanna be me tonight."
Mix that with pop guitars and a great bass line, and you have a beautiful recipe.
Grace Dudas:
This song is an expression of my anger and I wrote it during a time when I was desperate for a solution to it. It’s the most honest song I’ve ever written, and despite it being about my anger and sadness, it’s a very pretty song that feels almost hopeful. I wanted the guitars to resemble the shiny pop influences of bands I love like 5 Seconds of Summer and The 1975.
Cigarette Habit
"Cigarette Habit" is a love song to early 2000s pop punk. You could tell me this was a blink-182 or New Found Glory song from 2001 and I would believe you, at least until the tell-tale Isaiah vocals come in. But the guitars, the whoa-ohs, the yearning-for-the-girl lyrics - it's all so very nostalgic and yet so very new and refreshing.
It's fun. It's catchy. It's exactly what it needs to be.
Isaiah Neal:
This is a pop punk song written in 2024 that tells a love story through the metaphor of a cigarette habit. I wanted to write a song that had a story in the lyrics and a chorus that had the feeling of the character. I think this is the “songiest” song I have ever written.
(I don't know what songiest song means but I love it, and I agree)
...and to think
This song feels like an assault on my emotional well being.
We finally get some good, old-fashioned twinkly midwest emo guitar riffs to kick this one off, and it was worth the wait. The team shares lead vocal duties, trading off lines, building up harmonies, until they culminate in a unified declaration:
"I can face the regret, I guess that's progress"
We get a slow, sing along bridge into a sing along chorus. And we even get a trumpet line. There's just so much to love about this song, I don't even know where to start. But even better still, this amazingly crafted song comes with a fantastic backstory.
Isaiah Neal:
Brian Sella of The Front Bottoms was supposed to come to the studio and write a song with us, but at the last minute he wasn’t able to come. So we were faced with the challenge of writing and recording a whole song from scratch in 2 days. This is what came out. It’s awesome. It’s definitely the most "Leisure Hour” song we’ve ever made.
Raegan Gordon:
This was honestly such a challenge to write and record this song last minute but what we were able to come out of it truly was super rewarding. I had been messing around with the guitar riff before we went to the studio and kept playing it in my down time. Eventually when it came to writing the song we decided to use that riff and put our baddie brains together to write the rest of the song.
Bury Me at 7/11
In a world where Wendy's is releasing emo albums (I hate this) and bands are writing songs using Taco Bell hot sauce packets (I love this), "Bury Me at 7/11" is a shining beacon in fast food/convenience store related emo.
Seriously though, the second single released is an instant classic. It's another one that has been stuck in my head since the first time I listened to it and it's not going anywhere. I drive past a 7Eleven almost every day and from now until the end of time I will not be able to drive past it or any other 7Eleven without the hook from this song immediately entering my brain:
"Bury me at 7/11 if they don't have cigarettes in heaven"
Buried under the hook and guitar riffs is an emotional story, but it's hard to get past how fun this song is. Especially when the DJ starts the record scratching.
Isaiah Neal:
A friend named Jake Goldman wrote a sick riff and gave it this title. It inspired me and I wrote a vocal hook on it. People connected to it online but a lot of people said the vocal should be an octave up, so we had Grace sing it. She absolutely killed it.
My Existence (Without You)
This is easily the most devastating track on the album. In the same vein as "Monica Lewinskibidi" by Hot Mulligan or "73 Summers" by Riley! this song deals with the grief of losing someone you love sooner than you were ready for.
"I'm falling apart as the world keeps on spinning without you"
I'll be honest, I was near tears by the time this track rolled around and this one pushed me over the edge. And I think that's exactly what it's meant to do. It just houses so much grief and once again touches on this theme of being stuck without knowing how to get out.
Raegan Gordon:
I had a younger sister pass away from a drug overdose a few years ago and I always wanted to write a song about the journey and my processing of the grief and moving forward with continuing life, but also feeling so guilty about having the chance to continue it. As a songwriter it intimated and inspired me to see writers be able to be so vulnerable with topics and themes that I felt like I couldn’t ever do. I was scared to write a song that hit that close to home honestly and literally. However, I really pushed myself to write “My Existence” and it is truly my heart, grief, and journey in a song.
Long Bong Silvers
A 180 degree pivot from "My Existence (Without You)," the immaculately named "Long Bong Silvers" is fantastic. It delivers on its implied promise to be a song about vices that make life a little more tolerable.
We're blessed with some da-da-da-dah's and even more trumpet to go along with great guitar riffs, and it's just fun.
Underneath the fun exterior there's some introspective lyrics that follow along with the theme of seemingly being stuck - "I think I should really take a break from alcohol and hitting my vape, but I've got lots to do this weekend - so it's not the best time."
Isaiah Neal:
This is a midwest emo song about questioning your relationship with substances. This is the first time I’ve tried to dip my toes in “stoner emo” (Mom Jeans/Dear Maryanne/etc.) We had a super fun time writing this one.
Lately
I will not and could not ever understand what it's like to deal with the sort of monthly cycle that "Lately" is about, but I do have a daughter and a wife and sisters and friends who I've watched deal with this my whole life. "I just expect for them to know, to simple men it's just a show."
Despite my personal inability to ever fully understand the struggle, I can appreciate the pain and exhaustion that come along with this. And hearing Grace sing about her personal struggles feeling stuck in this never ending cycle is relatable, even tangentially.
Beneath the vocals are some really great guitar riffs and harmonies that make this song a beautiful entry to an already beautiful album.
Grace Dudas:
I wrote this song during an obsessive period of Julia Wolf, which I think you can hear in the chorus and lyrics overall. My inspiration came from the constant cycle of only having a couple good weeks a month because of PMDD, with no escape, no understanding from men, and nothing to do but talk about not wanting to do anything.
Let Me Go
This has been on repeat for a couple of weeks now, and it's a great way to close out the album. It really showcases the depth of what makes Leisure Hour so great.
After nine tracks looking at different versions of being stuck, it seems natural that the last track would look to be let go. "What you want is for me to be happy, and what I want is for you to let me go"
Sonically there's so much going on, but it blends into a beautiful medley that just tickles every part of my brain.
Raegan Gordon:
I really wanted to stretch the limits on what we could do production wise with our songs and “Let Me Go” was my first go at it. I remember coming up with the chorus after having a really rough day and literally going into a flow state (haha) when writing the song. I felt like this was a song I could hear every component of the song and watching it come alive was absolutely amazing.
...that one day is out now!
You can find it streaming on Apple Music, Spotify, or anywhere you stream music. Or support the band by buying a copy, like the beautiful vinyl from Counter Intuitive Records.