Leisureland

Leisureland, the first album Wreckless Eric wrote and recorded after surviving a serious bout with COVID-19, finds the singer/songwriter in an unusually contemplative mood. Leisureland isnt a real place, necessarily: its a dreamscape inspired by the seaside towns littering the English landscape, a place where the tensions between a tourists fantasy and blue-collar reality come into sharp relief. That dichotomy fuels a fair portion of Leisureland, leading Wreckless Eric to write wry, ruminative tunes documenting that plight, but for as sharply observed as these songs are, theyre not quite his focus. He spends a fair portion of the album painting bruised portraits of a fading landscape using little more than drum machines, synthesizers, and an acoustic guitar. The spare, rickety arrangements lend the record an evocative handmade quality; it feels like its being held together with patched boards and duct tape, which is just enough to keep the structure standing. The reliance on atmosphere distinguishes Leisureland from the rest of Wreckless Erics music, but what gives it resonance is that the albums bones are constructed from the same elements that have made him one of the most interesting singer/songwriters of the punk generation: hes toned down his snarl and cynicism, retaining a D.I.Y. spirit while also honing his powers of observation. All of these come into play in surprising, inventive ways on Leisureland, making it one of his most distinctive records. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine