LEISURE. Six-piece soul-electronic collective out of Auckland, New Zealand, formed in 2015. A group of already-established Auckland musicians (from Kids of 88, Goodnight Nurse, Cool Rainbows and others) took a spontaneous holiday writing songs at a beach house in Muriwai, and the chemistry was too good to waste. Sun-warmed indie soul: laid-back grooves, glossy guitar lines, airy group vocals. Key records are the self-titled debut (2016), Twister (2019), Sunsetter (2021, the album 'Be With You' is off), Leisurevision (2023) and Welcome to the Mood (September 2025), all via Nettwerk. What started as a side project gave them an Australian Gold and NZ Platinum single in 'Slipping Away' (2020), and keyboardist/producer Josh Fountain has also produced for pop artist BENEE. 'Diamonds' off Welcome to the Mood reached number 28 on the NZ Hot Singles chart in 2025.
From the notes for EKHO Sonic Chill #4 · fact-checked Oct 4, 2026.
The records
Where I played them
