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Song of the Day: We Are Leaders, “Corners” (2022)

I first wrote about a version of this project way back in 2015, at which point the band was called We're the Leaders and had released a three-song demo called Worlds—though somewhere along the way said demo vanished from Bandcamp. I was really enthusiastic about it, though, so my excitement was reignited when I recently learned that the group had resurfaced as We Are Leaders.

Now a duo, the lineup consists of Malik Calimbas from GMK, Ghidrah, and Atlas Shrugged on guitar and vocals, with Evan Rossiter (from one of my current favorites, Zero Trust) on drums, bass, and backing vocals. Fittingly, their debut single, "Corners," is a significant reworking of my favorite track from the original demo (which was called "In Corners" at that time). Some of the riffs and structures remain the same, but it seems that a good portion of the lyrics have been rewritten, and the composition is now delivered through much thicker production, with lots of vocal harmonies/layering. And I can't help but appreciate that the catchiest hooks—at least in my opinion—happen to contrast blunt lyrics such as "it's a shame that we're all heading straight to the dirt," or "it's a matter of fact that your world will never survive."

In this iteration, I don't think I'd even loosely compare what they're doing to any other artists. About as far as I'd go would be to describe it as creative and quirky alternative/indie rock with textural elements that just barely flirt with "post-" types of influences. Not that you're going to hit play and suddenly have your mind blown by some completely innovative and unfamiliar sound, but... it's definitely a little different and absolutely cool, so... I'll eagerly anticipate whatever comes next!

For now, "Corners" is available on Spotify, Apple Music, and hopefully Bandcamp soon as well.