GENRE: GARAGE ROCK / INDIE ROCK / POST-PUNK / NO WAVE
Calling themselves "lush punk”, Cincinnati band Leggy fill the raw vessel of grungey, dirty punk with unexpectedly melodious and memorable arrangements. Let Me Know Your Moon is the band’s debut and it straddles the plain of Husker Du-esque colours, passages that feel like they belong in a hardcore song, or even outright power pop. It’s the constant variety that makes the album continuously engaging with their audience.
The album repeatedly brings you into a cozy blanket of rhythmic indie rock before throwing you off of the curb into blissful, occasionally angry, dissonance. You can hear this from the very first track, Antwerp, where the pattern quickly reveals itself and then unravels as the vocal lines go deliberately off-key and the rhythm torn wonderfully asunder- or in the track Eden, where the sinister progressions eventually boils itself into a sing-talk segment that sounds like a post-punk cut - all while the lyrics revel in heavenly love.
It’s always a lo-fi musical ride with Leggy. Although the band has been around for quite a while with 4 EPs in their back catalog before the release of Let Me Know Your Moon, this debut sees all of these influences form a collage amazingly together. There is a very badass overtone to one half of the album, like the trudging bassline of Prom, but the subject matter being sung makes it personal as opposed to put-on. Prom after all captures the feeling being stood up with charming lyrics like “When you left me and turned off your phone I felt like a prom date without a ride home”. All before a rugged cascade of guitars and drums serves as the headbang-able refrain.
The beautiful thing about this debut is that even when the band goes in for something tighter and more conventional, they lose none of the lustre. Tracks like Not What You Need feels brighter but still packs a punch as a power pop song. Burner is a continuous plea to not be treated like disposable phones that stands out as an anthem, alongside other anthems such as Prosper.
Let Me Know Your Moon isn’t groundbreaking, and might come off to some as run-of-the-mill or not doing enough. But being able to contain the kind of melodies they carry while still taking enough turns to keep it fresh is an admirable feat by itself. The vocals have personality, the musical composition attempts at being hookey while not being too saturated with saccharine, is the kind of balance that makes the album a great listen if you’re a punk fan looking for something lighter and fresher.
RATING:
4 / 5
FAVOURITE TRACKS:
Prom, Burner, Eden, Taffy, Not What You Need