The particular trademark of genre-bending pop has become ever increasingly a commonplace notion nowadays. Notable stars such as Charli XCX have drawn crowds with their uncanny branding and sonics this year, although other teeming indie acts are carving a distinct path with said unconventionalism: take for instance LoveLeo, a solo alias who has ensnared the audience with hard-to-label, yet radio-ready signature. His latest album "Strongest Man Alive" is the debut album that goes above and beyond with its concept, proving to be a seminal work ingrained with relatable everyday themes packed in ear-candy tunes.
In a creative spree triggered by the pandemic, Leo Reilly aka LoveLeo scored his biggest hit to date: "BOYFREN." It's a tongue-in-cheek, laidback alt-pop tune that can get easily stuck in one's head with the sardonic vocal delivery, as the production offers electro snares and whistle melodies with quirky sound design (applied across the board in his latest album). After the successful preliminary EP "LOOK AT THIS MESS IVE MADE," the American creative released other singles before taking a hiatus (as he ventured into other creative realms such as acting and modeling) returning this year with the volume of music we're about to discuss.
"Strongest Man Alive" has a brilliant promotional campaign, yet another display of ingenuity brimming in the project: its unapologetically Y2K nostalgic yet modernist aesthetics are present in various spin-off elements attributed to this collection of records; namely the fictional, self-help book bearing the same title which served as the inspiration, along with eye-catchy merchandise, music videos and even a Windows 2000 style website acting supplement to the album's marketing.
The tempo is high when one enters the album, courtesy of the commencing track "Asking": a running electro-pop beat cohorts with the angsty but playful pop-punk style vocals, resulting in an upbeat-bittersweet bop. The unexpected sophomore "Stronger" mashes a heavy Amen breakbeat with pitched-down vocals, tastefully distorted in processing. Not all moments in the LP are hands-up and rave-oriented, for "Gross" is a downbeat number with 90s alt-rock-inspired acoustic guitars and an introspective rendition, putting together a feel-good, heartbreak ballad.
A glitchy self-motivating tape interlude marks the onset of the remaining minutes of the album, and it's satisfying followed by the brazen and right out-of-the-2000s "Big Talk," which wields gnashing and glitch-ridden arp bassline led by defiant vocals (as the sardonic chorus repeats "I need Big talk, baby//Like sex on TV"). "Hooligan" ends on a bittersweet note with a groovy backbeat, layered with a mellow, wistful rendition (switching to solemnly rapping in the verses) beside the folksy acoustic guitars. It’s unexpected, yet serves as a superlative finishing to this wild joyride of an album.
Listen to "Strongest Man Alive" on Spotify, and stay tuned with LoveLeo and his upcoming projects on Instagram.
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