leo. was a child prodigy, someone who started his musical journey at the age of five.
Still only 19 years old, it took the summer of 2018 for leo. to emerge blinking into the light, recording his debut single at home in Portugal.
Since then, each step has been taken with patience, and quiet assurance; five singles followed, before his neat 'drink my soul' EP last year.
New single 'too hot to touch' is a cute return, the slomo arrangement having a stately touch.
The jazz flourishes – that nimble clarinet, the neat drums – are offset by his blunt lyricism, with leo. explaining…
“With the lyrics, I really wanted to capture how overwhelming all these thoughts can be, whilst keeping the music part quite fun and light. This can represent the detachment that there usually is between the restless overthinking brain and the real world, which is usually a lot more chill. I also just really enjoy writing sad lyrics to jolly music, there’s something very bittersweet and human to it that I really love.”
“After writing it in 2020, I think it just stuck with me enough to include in my second EP, which I’m currently recording. I had a really fun time recording with Ed Allen, the producer, and it was really cool to try and get that ‘Parisian vibe’ I wanted to go for. The clarinets, harmonies, and double bass gave the song that special something I think it really needed, and I’m super happy about how it sounds. dodie’s song “You” and her debut album were definitely inspirations and I think that more than ever I am finding my sound and allowing myself to experiment with all kinds of different stuff.”
The simple but cute video is online now – tune in below.
'too hot to touch' is out now.
