THE FRONT ROW

London art-rock agitators Legss return with ‘Gloss’, a contorted, cinematic track that flickers between the poised and the grotesque – an arresting evolution of the band’s post-Brexit art-rock disquiet.

The single, their first of 2024, builds from ominous restraint to full-throttle delirium. A ghostly string section creeps in, courtesy of Felix Stephens (Jockstrap) and Lottie Pendelbury (Goat Girl), heightening the band’s signature sense of unease. It’s not just moody for the sake of mood; it’s operatic in its dread, a soundtrack to a lucid, urban nightmare.

Ned Green’s breathy, poetic monologue threads the track like a fading memory, introspective, slightly detached, but never short of menace. His spoken-word cadence sits somewhere between Mark E. Smith’s rambling nihilism and Kae Tempest’s observational realism. There’s something uncomfortably personal about it all, like overhearing a stranger’s confession on a night bus.

But it’s in the track’s final act that ‘Gloss’ goes full Legss: the tension snaps into sharp, distorted riffs and jagged rhythms that feel designed to rattle the walls. There’s no chorus to cling to, no catchy hook, it’s all atmosphere, mood and mystery. The result is less “verse-chorus-verse” and more “spiral-unravel-erupt”.

Behind the scenes, Louis Grace (drums/synth) continues to establish himself as one of the most intriguing multi-instrumentalist producers in the UK underground. Co-producing with Balazs Altsach, he stitches together the industrial chaos with painterly precision, and gives ‘Gloss’ that cinematic texture the band’s always flirted with but never quite nailed until now.

Lyrically and emotionally, ‘Gloss’ marks a turning point for Legss. The band say the track emerged from a “doomed trip to France,” and it shows: ‘Gloss’ is soaked in existential hangover, like looking at your reflection in a cracked hotel mirror. The band admit it feels like a bridge between past and present selves, and you can hear that liminal tension in every clatter and croon.

More accessible? Maybe. But don’t mistake clarity for comfort, Legss still trade in unease, they’re just whispering now instead of shouting.

With a June tour incoming and a clear sonic shift underway, Legss might just be stepping out from the shadows of cult status. Whether you find them suffocating or spellbinding, ‘Gloss’ demands your attention—and probably your unease, too.

🎧 Put this on your “Late-Night Existential Crisis” playlist. Or better yet, go watch it unfold live this June.

Tour Dates:

24 June – Leicester – The Big Difference
25 June – Southampton – Heartbreakers
26 June – Ramsgate – Music Hall
27 June – Norwich – The Holloway
28 June – Sheffield – The Washington