Boston-based artist Leah Callahan enamors with a melodic, jangly rock appeal throughout her new album Curious Tourist. A range of melodic and atmospheric rock songwriting compels, deriving from inspirations ranging from Brit-pop to shoegaze and dance-pop. Callahan’s previous successes as frontwoman for bands Turkish Delight US and Betwixt & The Glass Set carry into an acclaimed solo career, with Curious Tourist representing her fourth album this decade.
The opening track “Nowhere Girl” is a hooky tour-de force, traversing through a delectable soundscape that varies between elongated shoegaze-friendly guitar lines and post-punk bass thumping. “But being found really wasn’t your thing,” Callahan’s lush vocals let out as the textured guitar enter, making for a replay-inducing moment on an album full of many. The band Lush is noted as an influence for the track; Callahan and Providence native Chris Stern (The Sterns) bonded over a mutual love for that act, and Stern’s talents show on this album as well, marking their first collaboration.
Highlights are numerous throughout. “Super” captures an infectious rock drive with a rollicking appeal reminiscent of Blur, while the previously featured “Ordinary Face” struts a Bronski Beat dance-pop appeal. Another standout is the finale “You Don’t Love Me (No No No),” where piano and orchestral theatrics combine with debonair vocals for a sweltering close to an album full of memorable moments.
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“Nowhere Girl” and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
We discovered this release via MusoSoup, as part of the artist’s promotional campaign.
