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The Stress of Leisure
Genre: Indie, Pop
Region: Brisbane, QLD
Members: Ian Powne - lead vocals and guitar, Pascalle Burton - keys/synth, Jane Elliott - bass, Phil Usher - drums
Sounds Like: Stephen Malkmus, Pulp, Talking Heads
Influences: Talking Heads, The Fall, Dave Graney
Artist Website: www.thestressofleisure.com/

Described by Time Off as a 'criminally underrated band', The Stress of Leisure, originally a nom de plume for Ian Powne's home recordings, began somewhere in the afternoons of 2003. Since then, four albums have been released; The Stress of Leisure (2006), Hour to Hour (2008), Soft Approach (2010) and Cassowary (2012); as well as the 7" single Sex Time (2011).

The sound is definitively antipodean, however changeable depending on mood. Commentators have written of a Flying Nun influence, David Bowie voicings, Pavement and Go-Betweeny sounds, Pulp emotings, Mark E Smith spit, King Missile derivation, Lou Reed posture, Postcard Band twitchiness and post-punk this and that. Lloyd Cole has even been mentioned. When we've been playing of late people come up and say we're a bit Talking Headsish.

The Stress of Leisure is heavily influenced by the weather specific to our small part of the world in isolation: tropical, suddenly violent, sunny, full of ripe sunsets, sometimes damn uncomfortable. We like music like that too. Also hard wired personnel like Mark E Smith, Dave Graney and countless other fanatics who stay true to their cause and keep making music.

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reviews

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Sex Time
rating:  4/5
hhahaha awesome you guys - love to see you live - its all sex sex sex - gotta love that - quirky sweet pop tunes
triplej



Sex on the Beach
rating:  4/5
Laidback local pop with the cleverness and nuance! Feeling some Malkmus in this one but you guys work fairly diversely on the thought-out pop spectru...
triplej



Sex Time
rating:  3/5
Rawkus rock a la King Missile's 'Detachable Penis' with a pithy chorus that gives the riff a bump into a turbulent wah wah hook.
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