For years Sing Leaf‘s David Como has been making sun-drenched, saccharine pop tailor-made for summers.
That doesn’t mean you need to shelve it now that winter’s on its way, though. There’s a warmth to his latest album, Not Earth, that fills the room, so much so, that its presence will save you money on the gas bill.
Not Earth follows 2018’s Shu Ra and 2013’s Watery Moon and was mastered by none other than Sandro Perri.
On Not Earth, Sing Leaf weaves beautifully crafted tracks with experimental electronica. After several listens it all starts to make sense.
The gorgeous opener, Easy On You, may be the best song he’s written yet and proves a worthy companion on a clear morning with a cup of tea in hand. Sunshine is what it says on the tin, with Como finding all the right spaces to produce something that does nothing but put a smile on your face.
Little Magic and Forever Green are a folk-laden open-hearted folk love songs in every sense while Honeyeater showcases Sing Leaf‘s experimental pop leanings in the world of sunny chill-wave electronica. Magnetic combines all of the above elements, with Como finding all the right spaces between these luscious arrangements.
We were lucky to be given the opportunity to ask Como some questions a couple of days after the release of Not Earth.
Zelienople: Hold You Up – “a timely welcome into this world”
1. Congratulations on your new album, Not Earth. How’s the reception been so far?
David Como: “Thank you. People have been very kind and it’s been working on those who have listened to it, I think. All the pieces were put together in a way to do work, and it’s a great feeling when you get a response that matches your intention, even one that doesn’t match it, that’s exciting too. Anything coming back from out there is nice.”
2. Can you give us a bit of history on Sing Leaf. How did it all begin?
DC: “I started making songs under this name while I was studying sound engineering in Toronto. The first song I recorded was called Name In Light, I snuck into the studio I was interning at to record my friend, Hannah Rahimi, play the flute.
“I didn’t have a condenser microphone at the time. Hannah is still with me now, she plays on Not Earth, too – so many people have become Sing Leaf and remain with me in Sing Leaf, in that world. Sing Leaf was a place to go in my mind, a place I still go, a way of communicating with others and with the other worlds beyond this one.”
3. Sandro Perri was involved on this record. How did that come about?
DC: “Sandro is my friend. I send him songs when I finish them and he says whether he likes them or not. Either way, he masters them for me.”
4. How have you been coping with the lockdown situation?
DC: “I moved from the city of Toronto to a small town called Madoc – from a city of 6 million to a town of 1,500 – about two weeks before the world shut down.
“I feel extremely lucky and grateful to have the space, the air, the quiet. I don’t know how, or if, I would have coped with everything if I was still in the city. As it stands, I’m hopeful, that people will come out on the other side with a shared experience, maybe a new perspective.”
5. When did you last get into an argument?
DC: “I’m married with a 1 year old child. I argue with both of them every day.”
6. What’s your take on social media?
DC: “I avoided it for a long time. When I signed to a record label, they asked me to have some sort of presence so I signed up for Instagram. It is addictive, I like looking at pictures of people, like everybody else. I find nothing more annoying than people complaining about social media on social media. We all know what it is.”
Sing Leaf - Not Earth7. Favourite band growing up?
DC: “I’m still growing up, always up, but I assume you mean when I was a teenager, so I’ll stop being pretentious and answer. Probably The Doors, I had a tape machine I would carry around to the park and I’d play live Doors recordings.”
8. Favourite album released this year?
DC: “Gordon Koang’s Unity.”
9. Tell us a secret?
DC: “Speech in silence, silence, silence in speech. I don’t tell secrets.”
10. What was the last great book you read?
DC: “Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties by Tom O’Neill.”
11. What’s your guilty listening pleasure?
DC: “I literally just listened to the latest Greta Van Fleet single and was like, ‘not bad at all!’ Shit, I just told a secret.”
12. Vinyl, CD, MP3 or Streaming?
DC: “Vinyl at home, stream in car.”
13. Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions. Is there anything else you’d like to say?
DC: “When you have your shower in the morning, you can have the water hot or warm, but at the end of it, turn the water fully to cold and stand in it for a minute. You can start with just 5 seconds, and the next day add another second till you get up to a minute. But do it everyday. You’ll get stronger, your immune system will fortify, you won’t get sick as often and you’ll have a clearer head.
“Also, psilocybin can help you, do not be afraid.”
Not Earth is out now via Tin Angel Records.
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