It’s always great when an artist covers a lot of ground on just two back-to-back singles. It shows that they have plenty of musical scope but, more importantly, that they are keen to avoid being associated with a signature sound. In a world where music industry movers and shakers, fans, and especially journo-scribblers like myself love to stick labels on things, it shows integrity and that the artist brave enough to rush the barricades and hop generic demarkations at any and every opportunity.
So, if “Second Secret Moon,” the first release by Leon Frear was all about groove and pace, “A Town Called Chapel” is built on a more seductive swagger. Coming in with a few rounds of finger-picked guitar backed with spacious yet bombastic beats, it quickly builds into a more intense beast, but one that is in no hurry to get to the finish line, happier to enjoy the journey, a journey that sashays and strolls, meanders and moves in a moody fashion.
As a calling card, “Secret Second Moon” was intriguing. When taken alongside this new offering, this brace of singles can only hint at what sonic treasures might be found on the album to follow, Wild Rice. Out on 1st March, a date that can’t come quickly enough.
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Secret Second Moon video
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