Leodis - ‘Days Like These’
The Leeds trio return with an honest, tender ballad, exploring how love and loss can echo down the years.
The word Leodis is better known as the Roman name for Leeds, Yorkshire. It’s also the name of a photographic archive of the city’s rich history. It was a loaded choice, then, when four Leeds natives decided to name their alt-rock band after their city’s etymology.
Bursting onto the scene in 2019 with a fiery performance on the BBC Introducing Stage at that year’s Reading & Leeds festival, the former 4-piece have become a trio in the intervening years, swapping out anthemic indie rock for the heartfelt harmonies of country.
Relaunching earlier this year, the band - now consisting of lead vocalist Archie Hardwick, lead guitarist Ammaron Thompson, and bassist & backing vocalist George Hodgson - have dived into their next chapter headlong, releasing two statement singles: the grittily defiant ‘Northern Boy’, and the bright, increasingly hopeful ‘Along The Way’.
Both songs showcase Hardwick’s wonderfully raspy voice, which perfectly complements the band’s current melding of classic rock and modern country, just as it did their rockier beginnings. Now, though, the trio unveil something a little softer - latest single ‘Days Like These’ is a meditative ballad which delicately examines how the human mind deals with the absence of someone you love.
All gentle strumming, lush harmonies, and atmospheric production, the song is as relaxing as it is reflective. Initially conceived in 2021 as a traditional breakup song, the band heard it differently after taking a few years out, finding that its themes transcended just romantic loss.
Revisiting the song with distance and growth, Leodis saw a new story, one of change and readjustment which could apply to loss in all its forms, whether that be the end of a romantic relationship, the death of a loved one, losing touch with former friends, or even the loss of who you thought you were. Most people will experience the majority, if not all, of these things during their lifetime, giving the song a grounded, relatable quality which speaks to the honesty of its lyrics.
“See it’s only been a few months but how time flies/ Fading away like that look in your eyes”, sings Hardwick with a potent mix of pain and acceptance. People like to talk about moving on, and obviously it’s important not to dwell on the past so much that it’s detrimental. But what Hardwick also understands is that letting go is not the simple, linear process some believe it to be. “However much time passes, there will always be days where it feels like you’re right back at square one”, he admits.
This sentiment is summed up best in the song itself, after an ambient, well-placed guitar solo: “Days go past when I’m feeling strong/ Just to be reminded of you by the words in the song”. Bringing it home with a chorus which nods melodically to Billy Joel’s ‘Vienna’, before closing things out with a brief, dreamy outro, ‘Days Like These’ reveals a more vulnerable side of Leodis, substituting the Sam Fender-esque style of their previous singles for something more akin to The Eagles at their most melancholic.
As the nights draw in and contemplation comes, Leodis’s latest offering provides a soothing soundtrack for reflection and acceptance.
Words by Ben Left
