Short, sharp and sweet. These are the three unquestionable sways an up-and-coming indie band must nail. The Great Leslie does just that with latest track Get In. They do get it in with Get In. Right in the back of the net with a solid indie rock riff. Getting to that destination is of course impossible as it is a concept and not a place, like Ipswich or Quebec. No, The Great Leslie wants someone, or even something, right in the heart. Indie rockers pursue what they and their audience cannot have, but Get In is a sweet and natural track that steadies itself on some simpler instrumentals through those moments before the sweet, chorus release.
Janky guitar strokes and pushing through with a defiant sound, The Great Leslie’s latest track is a nice playlist piece to throw in with the rest of those guitar music hopefuls. Get In is a track that feels both reminiscent and contemporary, straddling those feelings with amicable results. Empty thoughts, empty breeze, all those lost loves try and push their way to the forefront of this piece from The Great Leslie, although much of it feels a little too safe for what guitar music can offer. This is a band finding their footing, and to their credit, they have already found it well on the likes of All Good Things and Out of My Hands. What The Great Leslie may need to try next is innovation around its structure. It is all fine and firm, a solid rock-ready track.
But what comes next is the crucial display that gives them the edge and the difference needed for this genre. Those final hooks and the repetition of “get in my…” are nicely worked and make all the difference. A sudden stop for the song is unexpected and lends itself well to the frenetic energy clearly on display throughout. The Great Leslie has picked up nice moments of enjoyable and energetic indie relevance. Ollie Trevers is the glue keeping the gang together with that rhythm, pace and vocalisation, but Ryan Lavinder, Alfie Pawsey and Freddie Miles all put in a strong shift with their crucial backing vocals and well-rounded playing style. They just need that next step. That is easier said than done, and for now, Get In will provide a solid range for what this fourpiece can accomplish.
The sky is the limit for The Great Leslie. Dependable track Get In marks a nice pitstop point for collecting up all those unsigned artists and dumping them into a playlist to flip the bird to Chris Moyles. The Great Leslie can stand firm as one of the RadioX darlings though, so long as a record label eats them up sometime soon. They do not overextend themselves but provide lyrics of self-doubt and even hints of self-loathing at that inability to make a choice. Eerily relatable lyrics and the shock value of finding something autobiographical, or even relatable, about a track, is one of the best feelings. The Great Leslie has managed to capture that appeal, that broad stroke Franz Ferdinand and the likes did all those years ago. Too late? Not at all. Get In is a good and quality entry point to a band with big things on the horizon.
