Sippin' Review: Pop duo Young Leon and Charcuterie's upbeat single is a soothing balm for these troubled times
Pop duo Young Leon And Charcuterie have released their new single Sippin' on July 31. With all the bizarreness and unsettling happenings that have occurred in 2020, the new track fits right into our playlist for all things chill. It also helps that the beach vibes we get from the track are an apt release for summer.
Both young artistes are independent musicians from Seattle. With his surefooted pursuit in alternative pop, Young Leon has been making music since 2016 and occasionally posting to SoundCloud until being joined by his longtime friend Charcuterie. In their band, Leon takes on the lead role of vocalist and Charcuterie handles the production. It wasn't until 2019 that the pair began collaborating.
"With influences that bring out mellow beach vibes and sunny weather, they set onto making music that would capture both, blending them into the soundtrack of Summer and old friends," aptly describes a statement on their official website.
In an interview with American Songwriter, the duo spoke on the band's conceptualization and inspiration. “With everything going on right now, we wanted to provide an outlet to recharge the mind, and hopefully give out what we’d consider a cheap vacation from the everyday life of now,” Leon said. “We make music for ourselves and friends. We put it out for anyone who wants to listen," he continued. "I write my best when I’ve spent time out with friends during the weekend enjoying the outdoors. Being able to combine the experiences into a song only provides us the most upbeat and vibe’n content. A nice view from the studio also helps!”
Sonically, Sippin' comes off at first as a breezy summer track to kick your shoes off to. It's beachy, tropical, and mildly trippy for sure, but there are hints of indie rock in the instrumentation which feels thinly coated in R&B tones in some of the vocals. Several elements highlight the duo's unique style: electric guitar licks play with a megaphone effect, the rhythm is paced by claps at every second beat, several layers of Leon's vocals are harmonized with each other, and whistles every few bars add further musical textures.
Sippin' follows 'Coastal Café', which arrived this month on July 10. Another July release is their remix version of their song 'High Tides' remixed by Low Tides. Their other singles include 'From the Patio', 'Cappuccino', 'Getaway Car', 'Daylight to Midnight', and more.
Overall, Young Leon And Charcuterie have got something special going with their artistic pairing and we hope to hear more music from them soon.