The juicy sound of ‘Leaven to Burn’ and its fulfilling mix makes Andy Smythe’s latest single an enjoyable trip of alternative rock with distinctive britpop influences that seep through and color the experience with very recognizable colors.
Third single out of Andy Smythe’s Poetry in Exile, ‘Leaves to Burn’ follows two standout singles that mix jangly arrangements with sophisticated pop soundscapes, ‘Prodigal Sons’ and ‘Out of My Mind’. The third single is one more showcase of the wide range of Smythe’s sonic palette, coming with one more distinct sound.
The London-based singer and songwriter has an instrument-heavy approach to arranging his bustling songs. Starting with a snappy, syncopated percussion part, the song soon introduces its hearty vocals, stadium-sized organs, buoyant bass, and crispy, overdriven lead guitars. The song’s liveliness comes akin to some of Oasis’s unforgettable anthems, and so do the song’s approachable chord sequences, that veer a little bit off in the choruses, introducing a balance between the cozy timidness of the verses, and a slight sense of tension with a pair of unexpected chord tonalities.
Pure pop rock, ‘Leaves to Burn’ is a dense and utterly enjoyable experience of a song by Andy Smythe, a writer of mature songs and weighted lyrics, who is surely gaining a reputation as being a reliable musician whose songs seem to always have a sense of sophistication that makes them stand out. ‘Leaves to Burn’ stands out with its gently cacophonous tapestry of instruments, and with its profound lyrics about rural farm life and its mental health implications, inspired by Smythe’s childhood. A rich song that rocks while provoking unusual thoughts.
