Hushaboo is a collection of 10 radio-ready tracks that strikes a distinctly modernist chord in the piano pop genre. The album draws from a range of stylistic influences from 80’s experimentalist group Talk Talk’s synth pop to Impressionist composer Debussy’s watery palate. The songs are inspired by the stories of many including the late musician Carter Albrecht, Showtime’s vigilante serial killer Dexter, and Paris Hilton and her lamentable aspirations. Crafted in the constraints of pop song structure and minimally dressed in lush, distorted atmosphere, the result is a thoughtful album with an eminent edge.

The album was recorded from Feb - Sept 2008 at Bass Propulsion Laboratories with producers Todd Pipes (Deep Blue Something, Calhoun, The Hourly Radio) and Nolan Thies (Little Black Dress) and features some of the Dallas music scene’s most integral musicians: Earl Darling, Cooper Heffley, and Taylor Tatsch.

bio
Pop music is in its most glorious hour: studio splicing and the quick production of catchy tunes, one-click downloading towards a maxed-out iPhone, diva tantrums on the TV during the dinner hour. Okay, maybe not. In its evolution towards convenient electronic turnaround, something’s gone missing. Simply, it’s the 2am tune during a lonely highway coasting, the get-up song after a rough day. And what’s been lost is what listeners crave most: that human connection. This still matters, right?

Back to basics: listeners need a song crafted by a songwriter who can speak to their intelligence and a performer who sings to break a heart, loosen a tear. And if you can find one who can fill both roles, you’ll want to lean in closely.

Iris Leu brings listeners back to the heart of the craft, skillfully merging significance and attention in 4-minute song intervals. Though a fairly newcomer to the music scene, there has already been recognition from the International Songwriting Contest, Unisong, and Dallas Songwriters Association, and invitations to perform at numerous college campuses and festivals throughout the South and the Northeast.

Her introductory EP permanent transient (2007) sold-out its initial run in the year of release after an extensive 2-months, 5,000 miles cross-country tour. The conversations on the road with pastors, prostitutes, and those morally in-between provided the backbone to the writing sessions in early winter 2008 which produced 40 songs. After months of effort and collaboration in the studio, 10 stand-out tracks absorbed into hushaboo.

On February 24, 2009, hushaboo will be released to fans across the country who can expect to fall in love once again with the beauty of a resonating melody and the voice of a familiar reminder that the joy of music is found in a priceless place- that of the human stories common between us.

tracklist:
1 For Keeps
2 Hush
3 Twentyone
4 Ipso Facto
5 Hollowville
6 Four Seasons
7 The Red Bird
8 Dive
9 Manifesto
10 After All Is Done