Leisure – Welcome To The Mood

For their fifth studio album, 'Welcome To The Mood', Auckland's genre-bending sextet Leisure refine their soulful, slow-burning ethos into a radiant new chapter - one rooted in togetherness, creative freedom and the lived experience of a band evolving with authentic purpose.

On "Welcome to the Mood", they have also opted for a more organic live recording approach. The group explains, "After the tour for the last album, we had played more shows than ever before and wanted to bring more live elements into the process, so we used fewer drum breaks and loops than on previous albums and recorded live." They further expanded their sound by bringing in specialists - strings, brass, pianists and backing vocalists - extending the sonic possibilities beyond their individual abilities.

Nevertheless, the album remains deeply personal at its core. The songs, written in remote locations, convey the tranquility of escape while capturing a newfound confidence in emotional vulnerability. Thematically, "Welcome to the Mood" is a rich tapestry of sound, woven from threads of authenticity, humanity and creative celebration. Lyrically, the album explores universal experiences - love, loss, connection, hope and purpose - drawn from everyday life but rendered in Leisure's distinctive palette of lush sounds and laid-back grooves. The tracks are grounded in reality but enhanced by a soundscape that is simultaneously nostalgic and futuristic, reflecting the ethos of Frank Lloyd Wright, whose Taliesin West provided literal and symbolic inspiration throughout the album's visual journey.