Long before Studio Electrophonique, the solo project of Sheffield-native James Leesley, there was Studio Electrophonique. A makeshift home studio built by local mechanic and recording enthusiast Ken Patton, it launched a handful of Sheffield bands that would go on to shape British pop in the ‘80s and beyond. ABC, Heaven 17, Pulp, and The Human League all made some of their early recordings at the suburban council house.
Paying homage to the unassuming recording studio by naming his project after it, Leesley might just revive interest in Studio Electrophonique and its history. More importantly, though, as one of the most original outfits to recently emerge from Sheffield’s DIY scene, he could well gain some popularity himself. As the lead singer of indie quartet High Hazels, he seemed poised for success years ago, but both 2014’s excellent self-titled debut and 2019’s Days of No One passed unnoticed.
Leesley then struck out on his own, adopting the moniker Studio Electrophonique, and released a couple of EPs (Buxton Palace Hotel and Happier Things) which marked a new direction. Those releases leaned on an old tape machine with a sparse but affecting sound, and while neither got much recognition, Leesley was undeterred. His first full-length record is conclusive proof that, when it comes to creating intimacy between the artist and their listener, less is invariably more.
Produced by ex-Verve guitarist Simon Tong, Studio Electrophonique picks up where Happier Things left off three years ago – a re-recorded version of the song ‘All-Time Biggest Fans’ even made the cut – but by now Leesley has perfected his knack for articulating intense feelings that are hiding in the tiniest of details. Loneliness, longing and loss linger in the album’s 11 tracks most of which he wrote on a 1981 Casio MT-11 and recorded with a Tascam 8-track reel-to-reel tape recorder. Add some vintage guitars and you’re whisked to a mesmerising, day-dreamy world that is the ideal backdrop to an album wrapped in poetic melancholy.
From the first note of ‘David and Jayne’, you feel as if you’ve stepped into someone else’s life. It’s a half-lit place where a bittersweet atmosphere prevails and the everyday minutiae Leesley describes in a world-weary voice, such as folding a shirt or taking a taxi, have heartache written all over them. Belle and Sebastian may show up any second to give the saddest possible rendition of a Velvet Underground ballad, then leave without acknowledging your presence as if none of it has happened.
Studio Electrophonique thrives on mood, not directness. This aesthetic choice allows Leesley’s songwriting to suggest rather than declare, and the result is a record that moves with a steady, hypnotic gait, building an immersive world that never shouts for attention. Instead, every song has a kind of hushed intensity, and the best of them stop you in your tracks. ‘How Can I Love Anyone Else?” is a sketch of devastating yearning that borders on obsession (“I could end up losing my job / I hope I do in a way / Then I could spend every day / Working on the language you use / So I sound like you”) but the mood and the tempo remain the same throughout. It’s almost as though Leesley is trying to put a spell on you just by letting that Casio run. And the beat goes on, quite literally, for almost four minutes.
There are no peaks and valleys on Studio Electrophonique. If you’re looking for big hooks or a sudden rush of energy, you may find yourself adrift. Also, should melancholy songs about characters moping around as they struggle to carry their lovesick plight not be your cup of tea, you might want to give the album a miss. But here’s the thing. Though the emotional spectrum is narrow, Leesley paints it with such precision and detail that you may well surrender to the quietly addictive haze he’s creating. There’s plenty of beauty in all the sadness, it turns out.
A vintage Casio keyboard may have its limitations, but you never tire of its pipe organ sound. “Taxi Ride” and “All-Time Biggest Fans” feel like you’re listening to dream pop recorded inside a church, and the guitar playing is delightful on the entire album. In keeping with his minimalist approach, Leesley never shows off, but who needs solos when you can hear clearly how the chords follow each other? And whenever the guitars are joined by the organ and the tambourine, as in, say, “Break My Heart Again”, your heart doesn’t so much break as swell.
On the first listen, Studio Electrophonique might feel short on variety. But give the album another spin and you’ll find that ‘consistency of mood’ is a more fitting phrase to describe it. It is a fully formed debut, confident in its refusal to reach beyond the range Leesley has chosen to move within. And he’s comfortable there, perfectly able to communicate everything that matters.
Studio Electrophonique will be supporting The Divine Comedy on their UK tour, 5-26 October.
Studio Electrophonique is out 26 September on Valley of Eyes Records.
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Review by Attila Peter
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