“A refrigerator full of waving banners loses power and the temperature starts to rise.” — @SMALLALBUMS

Premium Leisure’s Chris Barker – singer songwriter, musician, producer and engineer – has a very clear idea of what he wants his sound to be. A gifted guitarist and songwriter, he honed Premium Leisure’s sound in his home studio in suburban Oxfordshire where he and his bandmates grew up. His attention to detail and obsession with vintage equipment and analogue recording techniques give the sound an authenticity that’s more fitting to 1968 than 2018. The mix of experimental guitars and undulating rhythms are reminiscent of late 60s English psychedelic rock with a bit of early Tame Impala or White Denim thrown in. But really the vibe is wonderfully, refreshingly distinct. It’s pure Premium Leisure.

The EPs opening track “Water Pistol” is a show stopping song about narrow minds and recklessness in small towns. There’s a pounding, sometimes menacing beat leading you through a neighbourhood of foolish small-time crooks who think they are hard with their water pistols but really all they do is make their mothers cry. At nearly six minutes long with overdriven, fuzz guitar solos culminating in a cacophony of distortion and feedback, “Water Pistol” has all the ingredients of a toe tapping, hip thrusting, epic psychedelic rock track.

Premium Leisure’s songs comment on the contradictions and irony of everyday life. “Gold Tunes” has Chris’ characteristic guitar groove, a bluesy rock track about the deeply felt, beautiful experience of hearing songs that have been lovingly and thoughtfully crafted versus the mass market, meaningless expressions we often hear. It’s light and upbeat with a message to never lose direction when seeking enjoyment. This theme is continued on “Daydream Drive” a mellower, Beatles-esque track about a simple man who’s living safe. He’s not directed by the moon or the stars, the spiritual or the romantic; life’s riches. He admirably guards against having “no time to kill and calls coming out his ears,” but he’s a man starved of his inner Mozart or Mondrian. But hey, maybe he doesn’t know he’s hungry, maybe he is happy sleeping on Daydream Drive?

Premium Leisure’s songs are twenty-four carat, they direct you to that exciting, indefinable place where great art thrills. With just one listen you are taking notice, your body moves and your soul swells; these are the “Gold Tunes”.

Oxfordshire has certainly spawned a band of immense integrity and talent. What a treat to get them on tape.

“Blossom Toes, The Factory, The Accentといった60's後期の優れたブリティッシュ・サイケのテイストを保ちつつ、全体の仕上がりとしてはモダンな聞き心地で素敵です。この探究心と好奇心が混ざり合った熱量はKevin Parkerに通じるものを感じました。” — Niche Music

“Water Pistol has the same silky guitars, crisp rhythms and smooth falsettos of the best of psychedelic rock.” — Born Music