SONG REVIEW: Julixn Leone - Brøken

“Caught me by surprise with Julixn Leone’s single, Brøken” 

by Jesse Smith

Coming out of Des Moines is one of the most interesting bands I’ve heard in awhile. Julixn Leone is a fresh face to the scene, only emerging about 2 years ago. They loosely classify themselves as old school pop punk mixed with new age pop, and while I do agree with that, especially in their older material, I believe they are about to be much bigger than that. Today, I’m going to be talking about their newest single “Broken” which was not at all what I expected (in the best way!). 

The opening 10 seconds immediately demanded my attention because I haven’t heard something like this in a very long time executed the way this was. The slow swell into the big open hit ending with a quick cut was super dramatic and common but what really got me was the synth and synth leads they had. It was like a mix between mid 2000’s pop rock and 2009 risecore. In that 10 I was hooked, and then they threw a curveball. Instead of picking up the pace, it chose the low and emotional road. As stunned as I was, I wasn’t mad at all. As nostalgic as that first 10 seconds felt, This was equally as nostalgic feeling but for something completely different. Either way, I was so here for it. The guitar had a country like feel and the vocal melody and tonality was more when pop punk and alternative bands ran the mainstream. The slow build to the chorus is really worth the wait. The chorus turns up the distortion and gets a little dirty! The synth comes back huge into play here adding another layer to the song that grabs your attention. It’s playful and easy to really get into, the energy is really undeniable. Coming out of the chorus I am not immersed in this song. 

The song is under 3 minutes long which is incredible and I hate them for it. It enjoy how simplistic the song structure is and they really make every moment count while also knowing what the big selling point is. This song is way more energetic in a new way than their older songs which is why this song stood out to me so much. I think they are onto something with this kind of sound and I would lean into it and explore how far they can bend and mold their influences. I think they could write some great new music, but even so, This song is a great first step and I’m going to be adding it to my daily playlist.