LEON - “Apart” Review
“Apart,” LÉON’s second full length album, tells the story of her split from her longtime boyfriend. This album tells a very powerful story, and the acoustic instrumental shines throughout each track.
LÉON creates many memorable melodies that add to the ambiance of the album. These melodies are both catchy and easy on the ears. The plentiful guitars create a folky vibe, which gives this album an extra bit of personality.
This album is filled with insanely catchy choruses that are all filled to the brim with energy and charisma. Although many of the songs are slower, the choruses still succeed in being high energy.
LÉON’s voice is incredible throughout the album. It is so soulful, and her raspy voice fits perfectly with the more acoustic instrumentals and folk inspiration. Her voice shines especially in songs such as “And It Breaks My Heart” and “Apart.”
Additionally, LÉON’s harmonization in songs like “In a Stranger’s Arms,” “Die For You” and “Who You Lovin” are smooth and work effortlessly with the instrumentals.
The lyrics in this album are spectacular. This album tells the story of heartbreak, self-doubt and hope.
Although this is a sad album, it is very uplifting and would help anyone going through a breakup. Songs like “Seventeen” perfectly encapsulate the message of hope.
What makes this album so unique is not that it deals with difficult messages in a very retrospective way. LÉON does not blame her broken romance on her partner, but she discusses her issues and what she did incorrectly in their relationship.
LÉON’s vocals are both sorrowful, yet uplifting. Some choruses represent the bright future ahead. This is perfectly represented in “And it Breaks My Heart,” the best song on this album.
There are many standout tracks, however “And it Breaks My Heart” perfectly encapsulates the vibe of this album. It discusses heartbreak and LÉON’s own flaws. LÉON’s relationship was not perfect. This song also has a lot of hope for LÉON’s hopes for future relationships, and the beauty of love.
The chorus to “And it Breaks My Heart” is also very impactful. It is insanely catchy and it gives the audience a chance to look back at their own flaws in their prior relationships. Anyone could relate to this awesome track even if one was never in a serious relationship.
In contrast, the worst song on this album, “Tell Me” is a little lackluster. The lyrics are beautiful; however, this song seems very derivative of other artists. It sounds very similar to “Liability” by Lorde, and at times this can be very distracting.
LÉON does not have a ton of range in “Tell Me,” which is much needed and, although the choir is a much-welcomed change of pace, the song has already become too redundant to be interesting.
“Apart” is a phenomenal sophomore album. This album perfectly showcases LÉON’s incredible lyricism and her amazing ear for great beats. The rhythms in this album are out of this world and the guitars and pianos exquisite.
LÉON sounds angelic in this album about heartbreak and the powers of love. Audiences should definitely check this out since there are songs for any type of music lover on this album. This album is nearly perfect and definitely worth checking out.
Rating: 8/10
Favorite Songs: “And It Breaks My Heart,” “Crazy/Stupid” and “Apart”
Least Favorite Song: “Tell Me”
Jack Freiser is a freshman majoring in either media studies or telecommunications. To contact him, email jef5614@psu.edu.
