Tuff Sunshine: Vanity Matrix

Brooklyn based musician Johnny Leitera released a couple of choice singles after his Yesterday Suit album by his one-man project Tuff Sunshine saw the light of day in 2021. The long wait for a follow-up full-length over and it turns out that the tracks on Vanity Matrix share a common theme: the shallowness of social media, where striking a post can't hide the fact that it is all an act, and there is no escaping from the real world.

Ageing is real (All My Best Laps Are Behind Me), getting a drink in a nice pub is real (I Will Meet You At The Bell, Elevator Eyes), and the threat of street violence is real and scary (No Juice). Leitera uses skewed post-punk as the foundation for his music, but also dips his toes into funk, Tex-Mex and blues-tinged rock. His hoarse vocal delivery is tailor-made for his tales and stories. He is his own protagonist, but he paints the picture of a relatable guy that will appeal to anyone who has found himself in a spot of bother.

Tuff Sunshine: No Juice

Leave it to Brooklyn based post-punk musician Johnny Leitera to capture the anxiety of the big city with his one-man band project Tuff Sunshine. On his new single No Juice he offers advice, sort of, to cope when the walls are closing in or how to deal with street violence (spoiler: it is a losing game). With gruff and stacatto vocals on top of a nervous, unrelenting electronic backing, it will probably be way to intense for the public at large, but for those who like their music dark and adventurous it is an exhilirating listening experience.

Tuff Sunshine: Elevator Eyes

Brooklyn based musician Johnny Leitera finds himself in the bit of a bind on Elevator Eyes, the new single by is one-man project Tuff Sunshine. It is comprised of parts honky-tonk, some late night jazz, and dingy rock club fare plus a healthy dose of clashing chords to keep the listener on his toes (and a false ending thrown in to top it off). He never raises his voice as he shares an off-kilter example of self-realization of the song's protagonist that is pretty weird: "you can say my words are rubbish or not vetted in a way // that makes sense to one who jetted from a small town in PA // but if you can’t see the other side a river’s the ocean in a way // so thrash the chaff and be content to kick your feet of clay".

Tuff Sunshine: The Story Ends

Brooklyn based musician Johnny Leitera goes South of the border with The Story Ends, the latest single by his one-man project Tuff Sunshine, contemplating life after death or more accurately using memories to keep someone alive. With mult-layered guitars, some well picked effects on the vocals and a lively yet relaxed back beat, he has constructed a memento mori of sorts that keeps lingering long after the track has finished, inviting the listener to give another spin, which is a good thing because there are hidden gems in there that could have been overlooked quite easily on the first try.

Tuff Sunshine: Legwork

Brooklyn based musician Johnny Leitera is back with a new single, Legwork, by his one-man project Tuff Sunshine. With his pulsating acoustic guitar as the main ingredient he delivers a spicy post-punk anthem, celebrating the DIY approach. And although the lyrics invite the listener to believe that his course can be altered, Leitera has his eyes on the ball pretty much all of the time. As the title suggests he has thought the whole process through and through. There may be other paths available, but they all lead to the same destination.

HCTF's best of 2021 (15-11)

• 20-16
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• 15-11
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• 10-6
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• 5-1

» Best of playlist

» Listen here

HCTF's annual list of the 20 albums that will be in regular rotation for many years to come. As per usual many genres are represented. Here Comes The Flood covers a lot of ground and it shows in this eclectic, final tally.

Today: countdown from number 15 to 11.

Please shop at your local record store. Most of them have a website where you can order your stuff. Buy directly from the artist, attend live shows when it's safe to do so again. Tell your friends. Word-of-mouth can't be beat as the prime source to discover new music.

Tuff Sunshine: Yesterday Suit

NYC rock trio Tuff Sunshine is now down to being a one-man project by Johnny Leitera. Being on his own hasn't slowed him down that much and he set about recording the songs for his album Yesterday Suit in a former textile plant, his current place of residence. He pokes fun at himself for being an artist who never made it big with songs like My Back Catalogue and My Greatest Hits. Keeping himself busy fixing and rebuilding his home/studio kept him grounded as well and were the inspiration for The Scaffolding and I Got My Hardhat On.

Cutting through the bullshit becomes easier as one gets older and nostalgia is a means to preserve the best bits of the past. He has to answer to no one but himself. Leitera ia a man who tackles one problem at the time and it shows in his music. With a relaxed sense of humour and a good ear for melody that makes his songs timeless (and therefore unfashionable). DIY melodic post-punk that refuses to be rushed, with the meandering title track Yesterday Suit demanding the listeners undivided attention for 7 minutes straight.

Tuff Sunshine: My Greatest Hits

At the moment Johnny Leitera is the last man standing of NYC rock trio Tuff Sunshine. Being on his own hasn't slowed him down and he is been busy recording the songs for a solo album, most of it done in a former textile plant, his current place of residence. On his new single, the ironically titled My Greatest Hits, he latched unto a guitar groove that has swagger written all over it. His relaxed vocals show a man, who is aware that his kind of music is not very fashionable right now - a fact that doesn't bother him at all. Recommended if you like Pavement, Dinosaur Jr or in fact any shoegaze band that can carry a tune that is far too weird for jocks and cheerleaders.