Adelaide musician and producer LOS LEO has released his latest record, LL-1000, an ambitious project that far transcends the music itself. Setting himself the seemingly impossible challenge of writing, recording, and producing an album within one calendar year, he has just scraped in, and the result is a stunning 14-track record that showcases this insane achievement perfectly.
The album starts with “Mnemonic”, an 11-second intro that blends seamlessly into “I Can Change”- and that’s one thing I immediately notice about this album, each track fades into the next perfectly, providing a cohesive listening experience. “I Can Change” is a light, fun pop track with a contagious beat, the kind of tune that’ll have you bopping around your kitchen.
“Franklin Ave” is next, a breezy, mellow track that exudes a care-free essence. “Magic Touch” starts with an eerie intro that slowly builds into the dreamiest slow-dancing track, the synth giving it a slight 90s feel.
“Entr’acte I” signifies the beginning of the next part of the album, which again bleeds perfectly into “The Song I Wrote On The Palm Of My Hand”. The vocals here are slightly different- a little deeper and raw, creating a really intimate feel. It’s a beautiful song and definitely a standout; the slow build into verse 2 is one of my personal favourite moments on the album.
“I Saw Your Face” was the latest single to be released pre-album. A goosebump-inducing track reminiscent of Imogen Heaps’ “Hide And Seek”. It’s no wonder this was chosen as a torch-bearer for the record because it truly shows off everything LOS LEO does to an immaculate level.
“Entr’acte II” invites us to the next part of the album, before diving into “I Miss You”, featuring Friendship Global, which was the first single to be released. This is a really simple-sounding song, in the best way. It doesn’t over-complicate itself, it maintains a simple beat with a catchy melody and sometimes that’s all you need. “I Miss You (Coda)” follows, essentially a shorter remix of the predecessor. “Lovers Walk” is mostly instrumental, with a few bits of dreamy vocals sprinkled in, a lovely track but one that fades into the background.
“When Will I Know” is hands-down my favourite. With raw vocals, stripped-back instrumentation and perhaps the best lyrics on the record, it’s a heartbreakingly beautiful song. Towards the end of the track, we get a guitar solo which seems to really shift the tone of the track and gives it space to breathe. “No Turning Back” follows, bringing back that 80s slow-dance vibe, before delving into “I’m On Fire”- the closer, which surprisingly is an instrumental track. This song again perfectly captures the essence of the record- it feels raw, almost imperfect, which is what LL-1000 is.
This record is a solid piece of work. Listening to it with no context, you get a dreamy, breezy album perfect for easy listening. When you factor in the mammoth effort of doing this almost entirely alone within one calendar year, it takes it to a whole new level. Sure, it’s not perfect, but that’s to be expected, and it’s pretty damn close all things considering.
LOS LEO documented his journey of crafting this album via numerous incredibly creative Instagram Reels, which I recommend watching before giving the album a spin.
THREE AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
You can stream LL-1000 wherever you listen, and check out the album creation process HERE.
