Laurence León – Hot Colours Summer (2025)
While Laurence León may be a new name to my ears, and possibly many others, the singer-songwriter is by no means a newbie in the music world. Having played in various indie bands during the 2000s, and more recently performing alongside Peter Martin, León is taking the fore and stepping into the limelight as a solo artist. The first tentative steps into this new project were taken earlier this year with singles ‘Jellyfish’ and ‘Down A Notch Or Two’. Today, we take a look and listen to another of his 2025 singles, ‘Hot Colours Summer’.
The lead single on his debut, full-length album, Cocoon – an album of insight, reflection and raw honesty – ‘Hot Colours Summer’ opens as a soft, soothing, languid rush of indie-folk music. Yet, as the song progresses, an eclectic flair breaks through as León shifts from sparse notes seemingly piercing the subdued veil, then kicks things up with a Mediterranean-influenced guitar line bringing a spicy Spanish flavour. Interestingly, while the guitar brings an organic tinge, ‘Hot Colours Summer’ is a synth-driven tune that wraps around you with kaleidoscopic warmth and richness.
Melodically, ‘Hot Colours Summer’ is that lazy summer day lounging about the pool with a cool drink at your side. Jagged angles tint the sonic bubble, but overall, León brushes your cheek with this soulful single. For me, the melody is charming and stands out on its own; however, the lyricism tips ‘Hot Colours Summer’ with a sense of urgency, yearning and restlessness in the chilled-out groove. León explains:
“It’s a wide-angle cinematic song about late summer longing and restlessness… The lyrics are partially inspired by the practice of concrete poetry and the meaning-making that falls out of the sky/off the page when we omit and redact.”
In addition to the single, Laurence León released an official lyric video for ‘Hot Colours Summer’. You can view the video below and/or on his YouTube channel.
Find out more about Laurence León on his Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Bandcamp and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
Listen to more indie-folk music on The Other Side Reviews Indie Folk playlist:
