Indie-pop “wunderkinders” Leyya have released their much anticipated new EP Sauna. The duo have also embarked on a European Tour to promote the new album.
Leyya have been building up an archive of successful material. Sophie Lindinger and Marco Kleebauer have garnered significant attention with their colourful, versatile blend of idiosyncratic indie-pop. Their debut album Spanish Disco was an instant success, and following singles ‘Oh Wow’, ‘Zoo’ and ‘Drumsolo’ have cemented their reputation as an act to take notice of.
In addition to to their acclaimed live performances (their show at Eurosonic Nooderslag 2017 was called “The best concert of this year’s Eurosonic Festival”) Leyya have a knack for cinematography. The accompanying videos for their tracks are almost stand-alone art-pieces, and the duo manage to effortlessly convey mood through their quirky visuals.
The video for the last single to be lifted before the release of Sauna, ‘Heat’ was one such example.
Director Marie-Therese Hildenbrandt says about the video: “The song Heat for me has a very strong energy. We wanted to transfer that energy using the concept of a girl gang. The video itself has a tinge of an ironic undercurrent. The play with violence and weapons was used as both a critical and humorous view on female emancipation and the suspense-packed times we live in.”
Sauna opens with an energetic title track, and songs like ‘Candy’ feature laid back percussion and playful basslines. ‘In Your Head’ kicks off with Sophie Lindinger’s hauntingly charming vocal work before exploding into a post-rock inspired whirlwind of distorted guitars and crashing drums. ‘We Did OK’ could be Sauna’s ballad; serene, heartfelt vocal work, slow, deep basslines and solidly concise drums and percussion performed by Marco Kleebauer.
Leyya said about the record, “We developed a rougher and more playful sound on Sauna and we focused on instruments and sounds from all over the world, combining them with our way of making music,” Leyya explain. “The vocals and the beat received a spot in the foreground for a more intimate feeling and what was very important to us in the songwriting process was to have different layers so that everyone can find their ‘space’ in that song. You can listen to it as a ‘simple’ pop-song…but you can also dive a little deeper and realise that there is more than that.”