Indie Light

Adult Leisure are a four piece, melodic alt-indie outfit from Bristol made up of David Woolford on Guitar, Neil Scott on Vocals, James Laing on Bass and Nathan Searle on Drums. Today I’ll be reviewing their EP ‘Present State of Joy and Grief’ which was released November 10th 2023.

‘All For You’ opens fast, ambient chords and percussion rushing to greet you, an immediate injection of energy, that blends into a tight percussive beat, and strong vocals, Neil Scott’s voice works well with the melody, especially when he draws out his delivery, this is often when a voice can break but his voice remains steady and lively. I will say based on the intro I expected this track to be a touch more frenzied but I was pleasantly surprised, instead it came in waves, faster more intense sections blended with slower, more melodic parts. The result is a well balanced track with just enough of both you really make you appreciate both. 

‘You Weren’t There When I Needed’ has a similar intro to the previous track, but faster and lower register, but you’re filled up again with the intense high energy beat, this time though there’s no drop off as the vocals begin, and against you feel the weight of Scott’s vocals as he dance with the momentum of the instrumentals. I really like how well the drums are overlaid with the strings, the guitars and bass creating a seamless and phenomenally tied together. The harmonious synergy between the vocals and the instrumentals really works for this track. I especially liked the final minute which I think was the strongest part of an especially strong track, everything just kind of lined up perfectly and you just get swept away in the melody. 

‘All Our Days Are Now So Quiet’ opens differently, still a strong up tempo beat, with a quirkier, funkier melody, backed up by a bass and percussive elements that really make the track stand out. I really loved the build of this track, and because the backing instrumentals are so consistent and the changes for the most part so subtle, elements of the track fade it almost without you noticing and the track just gets even better as it progresses. It’s super close, cause this has been a very good EP, but I think this might be my personal favourite on the release. It’s just a perfect blend of what I like about music in general, and what I’ve enjoyed individually from the tracks on this EP as a whole. 

‘Bad Idea’ shakes things up again, heavier and more string dominant, whereas before it was more balanced or percussive led. It’s a really good closer to what has been a whopper of an EP. I think this maybe has some of the strongest vocal contributions on the EP, which is saying a lot cause Neil Scott has done a stellar job on the release, although being honest the entire group have knocked it out of the park with this EP because the entire thing has gone from strength to strength, the result is a high tempo, high energy and engaging release that’s got me eager to hear more from the band. 

So that’s what I thought of Adult Leisure’s EP ‘Present State of Joy and Grief’ and if you want to check that out for yourself then head on over to Spotify. While you’re at it, make sure and show support for the band by following them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.