Review: Alex Lleo’s Debut “Bedroom Door” Is a Raw, Soul-Stirring Goodbye

Alex Lleo © 2018
Alex Lleo’s heavy-hearted debut single “Bedroom Door” is the raw reflection of a poignant parting of ways, a bittersweet coda full of warmth and gratitude.

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Worcestershire-based singer/songwriter Alex Lleo is an anomaly for all the right reasons: First of all, he’s unafraid of sharing his full, authentic and flawed self. Secondly, he’s not after “pop polish”; he likes his music perfectly imperfect. His musical journey is only just beginning, but it’s already clear that Alex Lleo is poised for great things. His heavy-hearted debut single “Bedroom Door” is the raw reflection of a poignant parting of ways, a bittersweet coda full of warmth and gratitude.

 

Running, running for that bedroom door.
Searching, searching for that lonely cause.
Holding, holding onto more than we could give. 
“Bedroom Door” – Alex Lleo


Recorded live in one take with his six-piece band, Alex Lleo’s “Bedroom Door” is the debut most artists can only hope to have. A rich, earthy folk vibe pulses throughout as cellos, trumpets, and guitar layer rich, sweet harmonies atop one another. Dynamic but laid-back, Lleo sounds a bit like Matt Corby if he took a liking to some gritty Americana – yet “Bedroom Door” is so distinct, that it really defies “classification” and even comparison.

Alex Lleo © 2018
Bedroom Door – Alex Lleo

An attempt at closure, the song reconciles two souls’ moving apart. As strings swell around him, Lleo croons a sweet and fragile chorus:

I can’t be the only guy,
And you, can’t so quick to hold the rule.

In other words, there has to be another someone special out there for both him and his former partner. They’ll both find someone else who makes them happier than they were able to make themselves; someone who fills their life with light, provides them with the love and support they couldn’t ultimately provide to each other.

“Bedroom Door” is the metaphorical and literal closing of one chapter – a story that has to end, for the next one to begin.

What we hear (and watch in the song’s live music video) is a single live take captured at once. “I was determined to get the mistakes,” Lleo tells Atwood Magazine. “To be live in a room together creates moments in time that you just can’t replicate. It was that ‘spur of the moment’ thing I really wanted to showcase to people.”

Alex Lleo © 2018
Alex Lleo © 2018

In delivering the full song right there, in that space, Lleo is able to deliver a feeling seldom echoed in music today: Sincere emotion flowing straight from the band to our ears.

Falling, falling in with all the crowd.
Knowing, knowing what
I’ve never been about.

Heart & mind let it go,
words on paper, let it show

Heart & mind let it show,
words on paper, let it go
I can’t be the only guy,
And you, can’t so quick to hold the rule.

A definite artist to watch in 2018 and the years to come, Alex Lleo promises to be a live act you can’t miss. With his debut EP, Park Studios, JQ set for release April 20, 2018, the stage is set for this newcomer’s captivating entrance. For now, bask in the natural glow of “Bedroom Door,” out now on Alex Lleo/Harmony Road Records.

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:: stream/purchase “Bedroom Door” here ::

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Alex Lleo © 2018

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:: Alex Lleo ::

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