Leisure Tank - Wetsuit

by Steve Kinrade

published: 22 / 12 / 2016

Label: Galileo Music Communication
Format: CD

Minimally-produced but powerful debut album from Americana-influenced German power pop duo, Leisure Tank

Review

Leisure Tank have been described as a power pop duo evoking the spirit of PJ Harvey circa 'Dry', but to me they are so much more to this frankly lazy journalistic comparison. Consisting of K.C. Mackanzie (vocals, guitar) and long-standing friend and collaborator Budi (drums and percussion), the German singer-songwriter delivers a muscular musical tour de force worthy of any 2016 release. 'Wet Suit' is a powerful calling card, displaying a consistently high level of song-smithery from Mackanzie. With taut, minimal production – but sounding huge, this album explores the themes of inter-personal relationships, of lovers, of children. It all carries an atmosphere of the deep-south, of Americana, and K.C.’s blues-tinged voice that carries no reference to her Germanic roots. The album opener, 'No Beat No More', is a good example of this motif, which is followed by 'Red Roses' with Mackenzie highlighting her vocal dexterity. Soldier is awesome, with its opening mandolin riff; 'Black Dog' is bluesy, urgent, powerful and wistful all at the same time. There are also more straightforward up-temp rock workouts, 'Wetsuit', 'My Boy' and 'The Dancer', a particular track which, because of Mackenzie’s vocal range, is probably the most Harvey-esque, especially the line “You're beautiful but not unbreakable”. Yeah, I could see Polly singing that line. My personal favourite 'Isabella' concludes the album. This is a fine example of maximising and executing the ethos of the minimal production that is the by-word for 'Wetsuit'. I have heard a lot of albums this year, but this is probably the finest for me. If you want to witness top quality musical craftsmanship and song-writing I urge you to listen to this. Yeah, check them out first on YouTube, but that doesn’t do justice to how well, in hi-fidelity and sonically, that this collection of songs has been produced and mastered. Going by the number of gigs K.C. and Budi have completed in the UK and Europe this year, I am sure that their fantastic work ethic will pay off by getting this great album to a wider audience. I have a strong feeling that they are going to be gigging 'Wetsuit' far into 2017 too. And they deserve to. 'Wetsuit' is a triumph.