Chas Leman: Repetitive Strain
Looping the 9–5: Chas Leman’s REPETITIVE STRAIN Is a Razor-Sharp Electronica Pivot
by Jack Rush
London-based artist Chas Leman has never been one to stand still. With REPETITIVE STRAIN, he executes a complete handbrake turn from the organic, lounge-tinged textures of his debut album Wish The Clock Would Go Back into a bold, beat-driven world of 2000s-inspired electronica and art-pop. The result is a hook-laden, socially observant EP that feels both nostalgic and fiercely current.
Inspired by formative listens to Original Pirate Material by The Streets and the self-titled debut from Gorillaz, Leman long harboured ambitions to craft a loop-based, rhythm-led record. Teaming up with producer A. Charles, he finally realises that vision—fusing lo-fi drum samples, vintage synths, vocoder flourishes and jazzy crooner sensibilities into a sonic palette that feels playful, inventive and unmistakably his.
Lyrically, REPETITIVE STRAIN takes aim at the monotony and quiet brutality of modern working life. Across four tracks, Leman explores the resilience required to endure the repetitive 9–5 grind amid a relentless cost-of-living crisis. Yet this is no wallow in despair. Instead, it’s a wry, sharply observed celebration of human adaptability—the strange, stubborn optimism that keeps people clocking in and carrying on.
Opening track “WASHING MACHINE WEEK.” sets the tone with a thick, pulsating bassline and padded synths, accented by unexpected Eastern flourishes. The production is kaleidoscopic and buoyant, but Leman’s vocal carries a familiar ache beneath the surface. Lines about dancing to the drip of a leaky tap and singing to draughts through the door evoke a kind of kitchen-sink poetry—gritty yet oddly romantic. The hook, “the drum spins forevermore,” captures the cyclical nature of routine with melodic charm, balancing bleakness and brightness in one deft stroke.
“THE GOOD LIFE?” follows as perhaps the EP’s most immediate offering—a dancefloor-ready indie-pop gem with punchy percussive loops and modulated Bossa Nova-tinged guitar. Beneath its infectious groove lies a sting of social critique, cataloguing shrinking pleasures and disappearing community spaces. It’s sly and satirical, wrapping anti-capitalist sentiment in rhythms built for movement.
The EP’s most experimental moment arrives with “THE REAL WORLD.” Fragmented vocal manipulations and layered electronic textures create a slightly hallucinatory atmosphere, like scrolling through headlines at 2am. Yet beneath the glitchy surface sits a sophisticated harmonic structure and compelling chord progressions that underline Leman’s songwriting craft.
Closing track “THIS IS LIFE.” begins sparsely—single-note synths and direct, unvarnished vocals—before building toward a huge, anthemic chorus: “This is life, on the shop floor… ever wondering if there’s more?” The finale erupts into duelling guitars that cut through the electronic framework, merging low-end twang with angular indie-pop flair. It’s a cathartic conclusion that feels resigned yet resilient.
REPETITIVE STRAIN goes four-for-four in quality and conviction. Bold, rhythmically adventurous and refreshingly unpolished in its honesty, the EP documents endurance rather than defeat. It’s music for commuters with headphones on, dreamers on their lunch break, and anyone who’s stared at a fluorescent ceiling and felt the hum of repetition.
With this release, Chas Leman doesn’t just evolve—he reprograms. And in doing so, he cements his place among the UK’s most intriguing independent voices, an artist committed to taking the long way round rather than the easy path.
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