Leisure (stylized as LEISURE) are a New Zealand electronic music project from Auckland, formed in Muriwai in 2015.^[1] The group's current lineup consists of Djeisan Suskov, Jaden Parkes, Josh Fountain, Tom Young, Jordan Arts and Paul Roper, all established musicians and producers who have performed in the Auckland's music scene since the early 2000's.^[2] Due to each members commercial success and association to their previous musical acts, the project could be loosely referred to as a supergroup.

They are currently signed to Nettwerk Records and to date, have self-produced and released four studio albums: Leisure (2016),^[3] Twister (2019),^[4] Sunsetter (2021)^[5] and their fourth and most recent, Leisurevision on 29 September 2023 ^[6]

Background

Each member of the group, individually established themselves in New Zealand's music industry during the early 2000s, performing in their respective bands or projects. Suskov is best known for his psych-indie pop act, Cool Rainbows while Parkes initially gained recognition as the drummer for Auckland pop punk band, Goodnight Nurse, whose 2006 debut album Always and Never was certified gold shortly after its release.

Following Goodnight Nurse's breakup in 2010, the band's guitarist Sam McCarthy would go on to focus on his new wave project, Kids of 88 with his longtime friend, Arts. The two would go on to release their debut album Sugarpills on 16 August 2010 via Sony Music, which stemmed hits such as "My House", "Just a Little Bit" and "Downtown" which all broke into the Top 20 on the Official New Zealand Music Chart.

Fountain made his name as a member of EDM, hip-hop group, Kidz in Space before becoming an in-demand producer, most notably for Auckland alternative pop singer/songwriter, Benee.

The initial formation of the group took place in 2015, after members had casual writing sessions during a spontaneous holiday at a bach in Muriwai, a West Coast region of Auckland.^[7] The group has described their sound as an unusual melting-pot of contributions; having influences from 70’s funk, 90’s rap and R&B, all the way to dance music from the early 2000’s.^[8]

The group released their debut single, "Got It Bad" on 23 April, 2015 via Soundcloud to immediate acclaim and coverage, partly due to not revealing their identities during the initial release to garner mystery and intrigue about the project. ^[9] The song was also featured in the American television drama You.^[10]

Members

• Djeisan Suskov – lead guitar, lead vocals, production (2015–present)
• Tom Young – bass, backing vocals (2015–present)
• Jaden Parkes – rhythm guitar, lead vocals, production (2015–present)
• Josh Fountain – keyboards, rhodes, sampler, lead vocals, production (2015–present)
• Jordan Arts – percussion, synthesizer, sampler, lead vocals (2015–present)
• Paul Roper – drums (2023–present; touring member 2017–2022)

Touring

• Alex Freer – drums (2015-2016)

Discography

Albums

EPs

Singles

References

External links

• Official website