Break In arrives with clouds of bouyant energy, laid back guitars strummed whilst a hushed vocal gradually steps out of the dark… Fingers slowly fall on keys and taught percussion snaps like raindrops hitting the pavement, before suddenly the clouds break and the sun hits your face. Glitchy electronic wraps around you like a festival crowd appearing from nowhere.
Urchin is the musical project of London musician and producer Leo Appleyard. Having originally started life as an 8-piece band that performance at the London Jazz Festival, Urchin has evolved into something entirely different. In 2018, Appleyard took a break from regular gigging and travelled to Australia, where he quickly got lost in Melbourne’s progressive music scene. Enraptured with the mixture of house, disco and modern jazz eminating from the northern districts of Fitzroy and Brunswick, Leo ultimately ended up releasing his debut EP, Take Time, in reflection of a more upbeat and electronic sound.
Urchin’s sophomore EP is Night Light EP and it was made far away from the world of jazz and gigging, capturing the feel of today’s supercharged metropolis (albeit when not in lockdown). Along with Break In, Night Light EP includes three further songs that deal with loss, blame and the determination to keep moving forwards. Check out Break In below to get a taste of what to expect: