Leon Vynehall has followed a dizzying, rollercoaster trajectory in the past decade and change. Originally classed in the nascent “lo-fi house” genre with quieted house anthems around the time of Music For The Uninvited, Vynehall would shift into full-fledged cinematic and ambient for Nothing Is Still. In this latest chapter, building to a yet-unannounced project, things have returned to the dance floor in more fully-throated, maximalist fare [“SHELLAC,” “Sugar Slip (The Lick)”]. While on paper that reads as a traditional, almost mainstream direction to take, there’s true artistry on display with all the scattered pieces Leon Vynehall dropped off in 2024, continuing with “TEARS4ALOVER.”
Leon Vynehall Introduces His Own Vocals On “TEARS4ALOVER”
His latest is partially so moving because it returns to a sparser way of doing business, nearly devoid of drums entirely and moved chiefly by sweeping, chunky synth sections. However, in a “stop the presses” sort of update for long-time devotees, Vynehall’s voice sits center on the track, providing uninterrupted and unfettered thoughts on a long-lost lover.
Given that most of his previous work divulged its narratives via chopped samples and reinterpreted flips, “TEARS4ALOVER” is as groundbreaking a development in the Leon Vynehall catalog as it is promising. Many of the reflections contained in the verses are delivered down-the-line: “Time makes it hard to find another,” “If I could do this over, I won’t do this over.” Yet perhaps unsurprisingly, granted his aforementioned eclectic touch, he makes room for some abstract fare as well: “When pain turns to pleasure / Go to hell for leather,” or “That gleam in your eye / No vacant stare.”
If it wasn’t plainly transparent by this point, this writer is by and large in the bag for Vynehall already, but “TEARS4ALOVER” and the run of singles preceding it feels like the most creatively wide-ranging period for the producer in recent memory. One can only hope that a full-length project will round up all these disparate directions, but even accompanying him down these branching paths is very much worth the effort.
Catch “TEARS4ALOVER” and all of the Leon Vynehall catalog wherever you stream your music.
Elsewhere in the electronic realm, tap into our coverage of DARKSIDE – Nothing, a similar experimental ride from an acclaimed IDM outfit.
