Establishing the mood with a dimensional, industrial pop sound, Lady Leather opens Body Is Ruined with astral synths and a pulsating dark-wave energy before sharing the lyrics, “Scratching the ground, and those scars don’t fade away, dragging all my body around (ah ah)…”
The delivery immediately reminds us of Prince, particularly When Doves Cry. We appreciate the creative nods to the 80s and 90s and the poetic prowess and authenticity that manifests with Lady Leather‘s debut.
In essence, Body Is Ruined is about notions of exhaustion, guilt and the painful aftermath of trying to escape from oneself. The prose describes someone who is physically and emotionally dragging themselves through life. This message feels extremely relatable and zeitgeist considering the shared sentiment of entire generations at this moment in time.
Lady Leather is ultimately marked by scars that won’t heal. Her desire to “fade away” shows a wish to disappear and find peace from this ongoing inner turmoil. The lyrics also reflect a loss of identity and self-recognition.
The emerging artist cannot even remember who she is, suggesting deep emotional detachment or depression. The repetition of lines like “Gotta pray tonight everything’s gonna be alright….” feels like a fragile hope, and a plea for redemption or relief amidst despair.
Speaking on the release, Lady Leather confesses, “It’s strange, but I was diagnosed as autistic two years ago, and I’ve battled depression my whole life. That diagnosis completely changed how I see my past – all those years of feeling weird, lonely and disconnected.”
She adds, “Music was always my escape, the one place I could be myself. After a painful breakup with a longtime friend, I couldn’t speak or go outside for days. Out of that silence came Body Is Ruined – a very personal song I produced on BandLab. Inspired by Lady Gaga’s Disease and the sound of Front 242, I poured all my pain and influences into it.”
Naturally, we are in awe, and cannot wait to hear future releases from the rising star. We will be adding the track to our Spotify playlists as soon as it lands on the platform, in the meantime, we continue to stream Body Is Ruined on Soundcloud and Bandcamp.
