St Leonards

Last year’s self-titled album brought us the essence of St. Leonards; hypnotic, rhythmic ballads of love and loss; of strength and sorrow. Our emotions rose and fell with their melodies. Our memories were held by the grasp of their lyrics. Their words flowered tales all but the loveless could relate to, and so we lent our hearts as well as our ears.
Now, the quartet has returned to life with the release of the new EP, ‘World Alone’. The record carries five new songs, each with its own unique talent for wrapping itself around the core of our emotions. It is a return to the genre they know so well, but not without some deviation from the band’s previous direction. St Leonards’ instruments find a new power in the record, a strength that we’ve not seen before from the group. The contrast gives birth to a showcase of unique dramatics, and the tracks are more alive than ever.
As “Fall Down” begins, the record is slowly roused with a dim loop of instrumental; the perfect beginning to a simple, yet powerful track. We are swung in to an endless spiral downwards, and recall how it feels to be left in the wake of a loved one, lost.
Dark & Troublesome, a Brooding chaos lies just beneath the surface of “Please Don’t Leave”. An echo-like guitar riff plays backing to the desperate please of the ones we love. They fight to keep us by their side, but they are ultimately left alone; a single distant voice, barely more than a whisper. One last hopeless plea. The track closes with this exact notion.
A seamless transition into “Photograph”, and lead vocalist Shane Fritsch’s voice feels cold and alone. The weakness is proven temporary, however, and our hearts rise with the melodies. Like the magnificence of evolving life in the world around us, the song becomes a storm of personal reflection. As with every storm, there is a calm eye at its centre; a short moment of triumph and clarity, before plunging back through the storm wall.
The title track follows, and its lyrics burn like a pledge. Words of wisdom rise in the eye of defeat, and gives rise after a fall. Drums carry Fritsch’s cries with a new air of desperation, and they seem tribal; primal, even.
And finally, as the record draws to a close, the instruments settle, and the dark skies clear. The open blue welcomes nostalgia in the shadows of lost love. But something has changed since “Fall Down”… Over the course of this musical journey, a new breath of understanding has been drawn. Now all that is left is an unfinished memory, and calm longing for what is out of reach.
“World Alone” is yet another emotionally-enriching wonder from Sydney Alternative Rock arrangement St Leonards.