Formed in Bristol by Gina Leonard and Tom Fryer The Desert are gaining rapid attention with their blistering, bitter-sweet, dark-pop world. With warm, weighted synths, perfectly placed percussion and a universe of otherworldly sounds, their cinematically beautiful sound is the perfect backdrop from where Gina Leonard masterfully unravels her poetic world. Gina’s delicate vocal resonance has this alluring sound that absolutely unravels you into the music where you are captured by the dark yet hauntingly beautiful energy the music has. There’s artists like Lana Del Rey who creates moments in her music. Each song Lana releases she fabricates a different setting, moment, and sensation which skyrocketed her into a major hit. All those hit making elements, image creating, and raw talent is noticeable in The Desert and I’d definitely encourage everybody to get involved with this tantalizing band. “Bitterness” is a serenading melody with eerie detail and high-pitched and striking vocal resonance. My favorite part about listening to this song is how augmented the vocals are, as if you’re listening to the song on 8D audio or you’re right there in the moment. It makes everything more realistic and pops the song out way more. Thanks to the talented vocalist and the extravagant instrumentalists, The Desert is the next big thing we can be on the lookout for!
Catch the bands new track "Bitterness" on Spotify, and don't forget to scroll down to read their exclusive interview!
It seems like you guys just effortlessly fused together a sound so unique and beautiful. Do you all share the same artistic vision?
Thanks! We all bring a variety of tastes in music to the band. Jonny and Tom are into electronica, Gina listens to a fair bit of folk and Ryan, having worked in record stores for quite a few years, has a really broad taste in music and he's very up to date with what's current. We reckon this combination has really shaped our output , and in turn our artistic vision as we know what works together to create the band's sound.
Word has it that you guys are heading from the UK over to the US for SXSW, how excited are you guys? Will this be your first time?
You heard right yea -we can't wait! It's such an amazing opportunity to be able to head to the States. Sounds cheesy but it's genuinely a dream come true for all of us. It is our first time playing outside the UK and we're excited that we'll have the chance to share our live set with a wider audience.
How would you describe the music you create?
Melancholy alt-pop.
Tell us a little bit about this collection of music on your Spotify, I heard a few other songs besides "Bitterness" including “Gone” and “Distract Me” and I was absolutely drawn to you guys. Do these songs have any specific meaning behind it?
Cheers! The songs were written by Gina during and following a tricky relationship she was in. 'Gone' is about coming to terms with sudden loss and about the sadness and confusion that follows but also, more positively it's about freedom and excitement. Distract Me is about avoiding facing up to the truth/having to make a difficult decision - that gut feeling that haunts you.
What’s next for the band?
Once we're back from America it's time to crack on with our first album. Up until now the music has been self-produced (by Tom), but we're working with an outside producer on the album as our label (Funnel Music) thought this would help to focus us and get the best out of the songs that we've written. It will be different but it's an exciting challenge that we can't wait to get stuck into.
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