The word cinematic is often seen as clichéd, but Swedish-born LÉON has truly created a cinematic masterpiece in her sophomore album, Apart. This title embodies the themes of the album, as LÉON uses her songs to reflect on a particularly painful breakup. The topic is apt, given the current global circumstances which keep loved ones apart, with overriding emotions of loneliness and nostalgia.
Free from the scorn or vengefulness of typical breakup albums, we hear LÉON’s soulful voice examine what it feels like when nothing is fundamentally wrong, but nothing feels right either. The outcome is an album which is raw and painful, but resilient. A project addressing the aftermath of the relationships forged in her rather more playful debut album, LÉON .
There are many highlights to the 11 tracks, as LÉON’s artistic range is displayed through the variety of backing instruments she uses. Songs fluctuate between 80’s inspired, synth-driven melodies on ‘Crazy/Stupid’, and a piano and choir on ‘Tell Me’. The album’s opener is the melancholy and folky ‘Head and Heart on Fire’, whose accompaniment builds from acoustic guitar at the beginning, to a ghostly chorus by the end. The track establishes a reminiscent tone which permeates throughout the record.
Perhaps the two songs which best embody the cinematic feel of the album are ‘And It Breaks My Heart’ and ‘Who You Lovin’. The former is accompanied by a commanding drum beat and a swelling chorus of violins, whose sound is muffled as if to emulate a record player, giving the track a feeling of nostalgia, mirrored in its anecdotal lyrics. Quietening echoes of the chorus’ at the song’s conclusion are haunting, and perfectly encapsulate the rumination after a relationship has ended. ‘Who You Lovin’ sees the return of the violins, but only after a dark and brooding opening, reminiscent of Blondie’s ‘One Way or Another”, as LÉON ponders who her ex-partner is with now. But this darkness is contrasted by the upbeat chorus, and instrumental section, which make the song relentlessly catchy.
‘Seventeen’ brings back the nostalgia, as LÉON asks her partner for “one more dance” to remind them of when they were young – a song that could have been plucked from a John Hughes film. Whilst most tracks look back on the relationship, ‘In a Stranger’s Arms’ looks hopefully ahead to the next, whilst the singer is caught in the numbness of the interim. The track’s emotive and memorable bridge gives way to an even more powerful final chorus, making it one of the record’s stand-out singles. ‘Chasing a Feeling’ is an honest exploration of what it is like for a relationship to reach its expiration date, and is an example of the slow building melody which LÉON has perfected.
Through it’s allusions to other musical time periods, and sepia-toned warmth, as well as the ageless notion of heartbreak, Apart is an album which the listener will want to revisit every time they feel alone. And it is a testament to LÉON’s songwriting abilities that each song feels like a 3 minute film.
Words by Vixi Mann
Image by Sandra Thorsson
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