It's always a mystery to us how big tracks like this fly under everybody's radar, but LELAND's debut single, "AWARE", has managed to elude even the most diligent of bloggers for five months now—and we're ourselves only hearing it for the first time. The song combines funk-laden pop with an awesome mix of vintage and modern influences, but it's the anthemic overtone that really takes the cake, overall. Cool and confident, "AWARE" offers a look at the type off off-beat pop that's become such a breath of fresh air, and almost instantly while listening, you'll recognize that LELAND isn't worried about making songs that sound "correct" as much as he's focused on putting out material that's worth listening to. If you were too look at "AWARE" from a traditional pop perspective, you'd find a ton of places where LELAND is breaking the rules and doing things "wrong", but you can't argue with the final product, and if this doesn't get your body bobbing at least a little bit, then you may be a robot. LELAND's doing his own thing, and with music like the kind he's here, we don't care if it's not what everybody expected, because we're pretty sure it's what everybody is going to want soon enough. The Los Angeles songwriter is just now getting off the ground, and word on the street is that he's got a lot on his artistic docket for this next year. It's not often you find such a confident, chart-worthy sound this early in one's career, so get excited that you've just invested in his so early, and let this first single resound in your mind until his debut EP sweeps you—and the masses—pleasantly away. If you're going to be in Southern California this upcoming week, try to catch his live show at the Bootleg Theatre on the 20th. We've heard it's not too shabby.
LELAND