Few musicians can tango between the balance of catchy, electronic pop hooks and surrealist, experimental production, but emerging artist Leila Sunier does so gracefully.
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On her new song “Let Me” from her upcoming EP, Sunier transports the listener through a soundscape of aggressive swells and snappy electronic drums coupled with gentle acoustic guitars and soothing falsetto vocals.
“Let Me” isn’t any different from Sunier’s other tracks, which are all vivid expressions from the artist. In the case of “Let Me,” Sunier laid out all of her emotions at once.
“I wrote this song in order to process certain emotions that I was feeling at the time. Truth be told, that’s the impetus for most of my songs,” she said. “I was never one for conversation, so I like to think of songs as conversations that I might have had if I actually had the nerve to sit down with someone and talk it out.”
The song showcases the artist’s diversity of influences and expertise at combining various styles into one track. Beginning with acoustic guitar and shaky lead vocals, the song launches into an explosive chorus expressing Sunier’s hesitation but acceptance of a relationship that seems bound to happen.
“You’re not right for me/I’m not for you/But the oxygen is leaving/Gravity closed the door to this room/And closer we move,” she sings as the bombastic production of the chorus lifts her vocals up into the stratosphere.
The second verse opens with the familiar acoustic guitar and Sunier’s vocals, but descends as distorted production seems the suck away the verses’ momentum until the song explodes once again into the second chorus.
The song clearly demonstrates Sunier’s ability to incorporate various ideas into one track and have them all fit together effortlessly.
The Los Angeles-based artist is obviously teeming with creativity, as songs seem to come to her at any time.
“I write at my best when I’m on the move. Honest to God, my favorite ideas almost always start as voice memos taken over the course of the day. The first draft of “Let Me” was written in its entirety on a walk around my old neighborhood,” she said.
Sunier later completed that draft by recording the song during her last semester at the University of Miami.
With Joni Mitchell as her favorite artist, it’s no surprise that Sunier focuses on how listeners can relate to her songs more than anything else.
“I think I want people to connect to the emotion and the sentiment of the song. I don’t really want people to be pining after someone who’s not right for them – Lord knows I’ve been there and I do not wish that on anyone – but for someone going through it or who has experienced a similar dilemma, I hope this song offers them a space to feel that emotion and perhaps sing along a little too emphatically.”
Certainly an artist to keep an eye on in 2020, Sunier will be releasing her EP “If Only To Bleed Out The White Noise” in February of 2020.
