The pandemic was brutal for musicians who make a living traveling the globe playing shows. For Eric Goulden, better known as Wreckless Eric, it was much more than the missed revenue from having to stay home. “Covid hit me hard, damaged my lungs, gave me a heart attack – I almost died in the emergency room,” he said recently. “I began to feel extremely…mortal. I began to look at where I’ve been and where I come from. Maybe to get my mind off the ultimate destination.”
Leisureland, his latest LP, became that destination across 15 tracks – including a handful of instrumentals. He creates a seaside resort that seems to be only paradise for the tourists, while the locals fight to scratch out an existence before being moved out to the less desirable parts of town. The album builds nicely of off the momentum created with his last three records, 2015’s AmERICa, 2018’s Construction Time & Demolition, and 2019’s Transience, all concept records to a degree. What makes Leisureland different though, aside from the numerous instrumental tracks, is the experimentation into different sounds here including various keyboards, synthesizers, and drum loops. It’s a gamble that mostly pays off but occasionally weighs down the album, feeling a little bloated at 15 songs.
When he sticks to the familiar formula of haunting guitars and solid drumming on songs like “The Old Versailles” and “Standing Water,” you’re reminded why he’s been able to remain relevant more than 40 years after his debut. Those stark but memorable lyrics delivered through unique vocals prove he has lost little momentum despite a forced hiatus and a life-changing heart attack.
Goulden spent a couple of decades running away from the moniker Wreckless Eric, despite – or maybe because – it will always be associated with his most famous song, “Whole Wide World.” But after years of recording under various aliases, he seems to have made peace with it and settled back into Wreckless Eric as his moniker. As his past several albums prove, he is just as vital.
