Rachel Leo - Single Review: Last Call
Building on her initial successes; bursting onto the 2021 pop music scene with her well-received single
Conversation, followed by her stonking 2022 collaboration Dice with Lee Mvtthews, Rachel Leo keeps the ball rolling in the right direction with her latest single release Last Call.
Opening with a romantic vintage-feel EQ sweep, Last Call is a bop with attitude. The production is superbly balanced, with just that perfect little guitar chink, bass line, and simple beat supporting Leo’s sweet indie-style vocals, as the scene is set ...
The accompanying video was directed and shot by Devan Narsai, and the viewer is left in no doubt as to the subject of the song; in a bar on a night out, with our protagonist (played by Richard Crouchley) showing his true colours … and we can be sure that Leo will NOT be sticking around for “last call” as stated in the lyrics of the upbeat and catchy chorus with a Maroon 5 feel. With her head held high, she storms off to strut her stuff on the street and dance in the spotlight as she sings her cares away.
The second verse has a great change-up of the melody, really soaring into those higher registers and exploring some breathier vocal tones. And this is where the song really gets into the nitty-gritty of the subject’s two-timing ways, with further details of his indiscretions coming to light.
But as the breakdown winds through and slowly unpacks the musical elements of the song, one by one our increasingly desperate suitor is losing all his options, and ultimately winds up finding himself alone.
Not so for Rachel Leo! Her latest single was written with and produced by Drax Project, so she is definitely not alone out there, and is rubbing shoulders with all the right people. With support from NZ On Air funding and working with some top industry names, along with having the talent, songwriting ability, and gorgeous voice to match, Leo is set on a clear path to success. With reviewers predicting her to be the next big NZ pop export, which is not a bad achievement for an independent artist, the future is looking exciting for this one.
This is a great commercial single that easily has you bopping along to it. The production is great and the delivery is perfect, plus the video is slick and everything has been done to a very high standard, so a big congratulations to all who have been involved with the project, and well done on the single release!
About Rachel Leo
A 3-time recipient of NZ On Air funding, she worked with Alex Wildwood (The Veronicas, Broods) under the New Music Development initiative last year and was awarded the New Music Single grant to support the release of her next two singles. After studying a Bachelor of Music and honing her writing style, she has been collaborating with the likes of Drax Project, Chores, Lauren Gin and Lee Mvtthews. Her songs have been placed on playlists including Apple Music’s New Music Daily, YouTube’s Released and Spotify’s New Music Friday.
With Rachel taking inspiration from the likes of Kiana Ledé, Maggie Rogers, Dua Lipa and Yebba, it comes as no surprise that she enjoys writing under all areas of the pop umbrella. An eagerly awaited release, her next single Last Call was written with and produced by NZ pop heavyweights, Drax Project and marks the start of Leo’s next chapter.
Visit the muzic.net.nz Profile for Rachel Leo
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