Adult Leisure - The Things You Don't Know Yet review

Words: Tom Gensler

Album Art by Steph Dutton

Bristol’s Adult Leisure are a postmodern indie gem. With a striking sonic mix of 80s

sound aesthetics with modern songwriting sensibilities, they’ve made a name for

themselves as stalwarts of this old new sound. There’s elements of Bruce Springsteen,

Sam Fender, Big Country and Bleachers, with an eye towards catchy yet not showy songs, a true testament to the band’s songwriting ability. We were lucky enough to receive their anthemic debut album, The Things You Don’t Know Yet, early, and it's a true joy to listen to.

Overall, the album’s production boasts a warm and positively sweaty feel, with the

resounding sound feeling somewhat akin to Scottish band Big Country, especially on

Borderline. Boys Grow Old sounds glowing, like seeing illuminations in a darkening

evening, and the energy is just immaculate. Simultaneously, there’s a chill energy that

prevails on some songs, like Kids Like Us, and this energy, to me, feels more like a

relaxing Sunday morning. The mix of different vibes and ideas on this album is extremely

well balanced, its obvious that a huge amount of love has gone into every beat and every

lyric of every song.

One very notable thing about this album is the fact that if the production wasn’t so

modern and crisp, it would be very easily mistaken for a work taken straight from the 80s.

It bears all of the hallmarks of 80s rock/pop; smooth guitar parts, pronounced echo-y

vocals and lush saxophone sections, and not to mention beautiful synth elements. For me,

this works in the band's favour heavily, as sometimes when newer acts try to recreate older

music, it can feel more like a pastiche, or even parody, but Adult Leisure’s music acts, in

my opinion, as a love letter to the era. Everything is so sparkly and smooth in the same

vein as the time period, but with just enough modern elements to really elevate it into a

newer territory. It's really fantastic.

Kiss Me Like You Miss Her is a highlight of the album, for me. The vocal and lyrical

content of the verses have a particular Talking Heads energy to them, found in the

intriguing mix of spoken word with the band’s signature instrumental sounds, leading to a

strong chorus section. The chorus also feels very emotional, it comes across as a cry out

into the void, though one slightly tinged with hope. This album has an interesting approach

to emotional content of songs, one that heavily blends the emotional tone with the

instrumental and vocal sounds, and this is extremely clear on this track.

Another high point is the truly anthemic See Her. The chorus has this euphoric feeling,

one similarly evoked by Springsteen and Fender, and the saxophone on this track is

simply fantastic. Vocalist, Neil Scott, is on point here, with his soulful rasp adding to the

feeling. In addition to all this, the rhythm section is on form, as they are with every track, but

especially here. There’s a clear movement within the songs chorus, a running feeling,

creating the illusion of running around telling everyone news. It's a beautifully unique

feeling to capture, and this really is where Adult Leisure excel.

The album’s closer, The River, is an extremely special, mostly acoustic, track. It fits into

the category of a token chill song, in the modern album structure, however it's so so much

more than that. It's heartfelt striking, and musically enticing. Again, another high point, and

for me, the best track to end the album on.

However, my overall standout, and the track that I think sums the entire work up

perfectly, is Borderline. The chorus has a positive feeling but emotional relatable lyrics; “it

feels like borderline crying everyday”. This lyrical and emotional content is taken to an

entirely new level by the simply incredible musical content of this track. The quick

pounding drums, the sparkly reverb-y synths, the soaring guitar and the smooth bass all

work alongside the masterful vocals to create a fantastic moment of a song.

One thing thats absolutely fantastic about the album is the guitar parts. They aren’t

showy, but aren’t too simply and not in any way boring. Every parts serves the tracks

extremely well, and the lead guitar tone itself is heavenly. There’s a lot to love about the

music of Adult Leisure, but their musicality and how in touch they are with each other, as

musicians, really stands out, and it's fantastic to see this in a modern band.

This album is an absolute joy to listen to, and I’ve hugely enjoyed having the time to get

to know it. The retro feeling is brilliant, the songwriting is fantastic, and emotionally it's

really beautiful. I highly recommend it, and I’m extremely excited to see what the future

has in store for this fantastic band.