Whale Heart Records

Stream First Single from "Golden Gray"!

Listen to "Bloom" RIGHT HERE!

Village Voice Inteviews Duchess Leo!

Since the middle of the '00s, the two members of Brooklyn ambient indietronica blearmasters Duchess Leo have been traveling decidedly different paths: Vocalist Dan Ryan spent years fronting atmospheric indie-rockers the Station Myth, while producer Todd Buchler was pressing up hectic drum 'n' bass dubplates as elusive headknocker Todd Buckler. But together, they are a decidedly cohesive Drizzly Bear, a pair of rainy-day swooners obsessed with churning melodies and bliss-drenched textures. Their debut full-length, Golden Gray (out January 25 on Whale Heart), collects 10 melancholy window-gazers full of uplifting Moby loops, Radioheady hooks, and the sleepytime strum 'n' drone antics of Kranky artists like Benoit Pioulard. First taste "Bloom" is a late-night creeper in the Chris Isaak vein with shivering guitars and drums calling from a cavern of reverb.

Q&A: Duchess Leo on "Bloom"

What is "Bloom" about?

Dan Ryan: I guess it's about a dude who feels like he's constantly bargaining. Seems like he quarrels with faith. It was written really fast, so I don't know.

What inspired it musically?

Buchler: The end of Karate Kid 2 when they start using those little drums to remind Daniel how "the best defense for straight forward kick, no be there." It worked on the track and in the movie.

READ THE WHOLE THING HERE!

Wild Honeypie Digs Duchess!

Childhood friends, Dan Ryan and Todd Buchler, began putting their talents together back in 2007 as Duchess Leo. Their music, growing from a catalogue of songs Dan had collected over a period of over ten years, was strengthened and solidified by the skills that Todd brought from his time as part of the breakbeat and DJ culture. Now, with a full-length album coming out January 25, the two are fine-tuning their talents and expanding upon the sound they originally found with each other.

READ THE WHOLE THING HERE!

Mad Mackerel Streams Bloom!

New York’s Duchess Leo is Dan Ryan and Todd Buchler. The duo have been friends for most of their lives, having grown up a few blocks away from each other in the suburbs of New Jersey.

The songs on their debut album Golden Gray roll in melancholy and shimmer with triumph. From majestic strings to tribal rhythms and from piano led ballads to driving acoustic tunes, the music builds into a release of guitars, voice and drums and confidently shows off the band’s penchant for creating visual and cinematic music.

At heart, Duchess Leo is a duo comprised of an electronic music producer and a singer/songwriter. Golden Gray expands that sonic pallet to include more players while focusing on the songs, and the result is a confident, elegant record.