In 2016 a team of seasoned Melbourne musicians who have played for acts like Dorsal Fins and Canary realised they had a fair few tastes in common.
With a newfound emphasis on lyricism, they’ve come together as Mount Saint Leonard to explore their mutual love of folk rock.
The second single Lonely Love brings the vocals of Kathleen Mary Lee to the forefront for a laid-back, bluesy folk track. The song was recorded live with no overdubs, creating a thrilling vision of what their stage presence must be like.
Lee’s delicate and expressive vocals mixed with the band’s minimalist instrumentation creates a Julia Jacklin-like sound that speaks volumes for what’s left to come from these new Melbourne heroes.
Blending therapeutic folk with the sonics of previous projects, Mount Saint Leonard are hitting a niche that’s nostalgic, energetic and fantastically emotive all at once.
Mount Saint Leonard have managed to create a very mature sound for themselves considering how recently the band came into being. With influences the likes of Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen and Nick Cave worn wholeheartedly of their sleeves, Mount Saint Leonard were bound to create a tone that’s reminiscent of these nostalgic folk legends.
Although this is only the second single we’re hearing from the band, there is a lot more planned for 2017, with Lonely Love and previous single Blame Me being the first markers of a debut album on it’s way.
Blame Me shows off a more classic blues-rock sound, with a reverb-drenched electric guitar featuring on the track. The return of Mary Lee’s vocals and a soft drum line maintain a folky feel to the song, in line with the band’s tendencies.
Already in these two singles some interesting intra-band dynamics are becoming apparent, as the high energy sounds of Dorsal Fins clash with the more docile sounds of Kathleen Mary Lee’s solo project. It’s bound to be an interesting album as these sounds continue to bubble together for a unique, genre blending experience.
The band will be doing a live show to launch the new song on the 1st of March at The Worker’s Club. No doubt there will also be a few more sneak peeks of the upcoming album on the set list as well.
