Behind the scenes with the Leak; press photo courtesy of the band.

Undeniably, the Pacific Northwest holds something special. A certain freedom of the soul can be found beyond overcast skies, frequent spells of precipitation and nearly infinite lush coniferous arboreal estates. The folk arts from these PNW provinces weave musical works that speak to the psychic receptors of consciousness. Rustic storytelling with roots in American primitive sensibilities were bands of visionaries and talented dreamers congregate to collaborate on opuses outfitted with an outsider chic for everyone to enjoy. The vibes synthesize the slacker steez with the surreal, stirring a rugged uniqueness that feels like home (as well as something far and away at the same time).

This is the spirit of Seattle’s powerhouse of players The Leak; the team of Taylor Clark, Sam Peterson, producer Dylan Wall and Niko Wood. Presenting news of their self-titled debut EP via Slang Church, the gang presents a succinct cycle of big electric heavy hitters. "Weed in the Sun" has the vibe of baking in the solar rays while laying in the grass on the quad of an art school you flunked out of, "Congrats" exhibits some of the best presentations of modern day pop balladry, to elevating the power pop traditions with "Like a Shout". The playful side of the creative process shines through on "Poison the Sea", as the grandiose and boisterous "All Things" brings the record to a triumphant close.

The debut of The Leak’s “Man in the Window” plays with perceptions on preoccupations in a grunge and grind event. The group orchestrates an anthem for all those outfitted in well lived-in flannel clobber, holding tight to the mythos of their long haired heroes from the 90s and earlier. “Window” illustrates crafty song structures and the collective’s sharp knack for seamlessly composing hooks into complex arrangements. And even with all the music nerd considerations in play, the analog vacuum tube light of grit remains intact. The Leak spotlights the sum of their mammoth talents in spit-smart tunes that offer an amped up latter twentieth century timelessness that is in a studio class all of their own design.

Gear and the Leak band van; press photo courtesy of the artists.

The band provided the following collaborative manifesto on the Leak EP:

This record is a product of exhaustion, frustration, and finding joy in small moments. As too many can relate, the songs are a reflection of living paycheck to paycheck while working full time, of physically laboring day in and day out, squeezed by an indifferent invisible hand. It’s tough to work so hard for so little.

Sessions with the Leak; press photo courtesy of the band.

The Leak started as a home recording project and became an amalgam of friends with these songs. We all knew each other before getting together as a band, which is nice because good relationships are the most important. You have to want to spend time with your bandmates.
The album was recorded quickly, in one long studio day and a couple evenings. We tracked everything with a studio cassette recorder — a relic of the 1980s with both hi-fi and lo-fi qualities. There's something special to the sound, but more importantly, the limitations of the tape recorder prevented us from over-embellishing. Aside from the vocals, most of the songs are single-take live performances.

Cassette recording sessions by the Leak; press photo courtesy of the band.

When Billy and Slang Church offered to release the album we were thrilled! Slang Church has many wonderful releases and it feels good to know that others are enjoying the songs. We’ll be touring in May, then we’re eager to start the process all over again with new material.

The Leak’s self-titled EP will be available April 8 via Slang Church.

PREMIERE | The Leak, "Man in the Window"