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'Milquetoast' - Gardner Leonard Album Review


 'Milquetoast' - Gardner Leonard Album Review



 

Gardner Leonard are a pop punk duo from the West Midlands made up of Daryl Gardner who plays and writes the music and all instruments on the album, and Rhiannon Leonard the singer-songwriter. 


Their debut album 'Milquetoast' (which is released this Friday 15th January) contains 11 tracks all recorded and written during this pandemic. This album is heavily inspired by early 2000's emo and pop punk, which in my opinion is the best music ever!


The album overall is upbeat, full of cool guitar riffs and songs that are begging to be seen live. Some tracks cover serious subjects, the obvious one being the single “Mine” released earlier this year, while others are more light and fun, such as the opening track “Wish It Was Me” which has a catchy chorus and very relatable lyrics.  


My personal favourite from ‘Milquetoast’ is ‘Your Ghost’ due to the beautiful and emotional chorus and unique guitars parts. This deserved its place as Track Of The Week on BBC Introducing West Midlands.


The journey continues strongly with ‘Do It Over Again’ which makes me want to get up, jump around, shout and sing along, in contrast with the final track ‘One Two Three Four’ which starts eerily, and is much slower compared to the rest of the album. This is a dramatic and theatrical end to ‘Milquetoast’, leaving the listener thinking about their own relationships.


The duo have listed Taylor Swift and Blink 182 among others as their personal inspirations. I could feel this when listening to the album, and as a fan I also found it reminiscent of early Fall Out Boy.


The whole album is empowering and takes you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions. The word ‘Milquetoast’ can mean timid, feeble, insipid or bland which in no way describes this album, in fact this is a complete juxtaposition.


Once gigs are back, I will be first in line for a ticket to see Gardner Leonard live, and when I’m feeling dramatic and emotional this will definitely be the album I listen to! 


You can presave 'Milquetoast' here.




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