What I’ve always liked about Leila Addams‘ music is her stubborn reluctance to follow a straight line. While most artists arrange their compositions neatly and cleanly, hoping to land on Spotify playlists, Leila clearly aims to confuse the listener, pulling them into some otherworldly, slightly gloomy thickets and leaving them there.

This is exactly the case where her music is a dark forest, but you enter it willingly because you know that even if you get lost, you’ll discover something mesmerizing. The EP “Bones” is exactly that darker side of Addams that I’ve always enjoyed.

photo by Ralphy Valle

In fact, her music has always felt to me like a well-brewed poison. Mind you, it doesn’t kill quickly; instead, it slowly envelops you from within, changing something inside you on a molecular level. Her songs are black coffee at night, ashes in a glass, blood on your lips, and the rustle of dead leaves under your heels. When Leila plays in my headphones, I want to line my eyes with black eyeliner, even if I’m just going out to throw away the trash. There’s something of a gothic novel in her newest EP, something of coarse, rough indie-rock, but it’s all wrapped up in a special textural quality of sound that sometimes makes me just sigh and say, “Yes, here it is, music with character.” The guitars here are processed through old analog pedals and some vintage amplifier, then played with such passion that it seems these instruments might burst from the tension at any moment. It’s this roughness, warmth, and a bit of pleasant dissonance that, for me personally, creates a special magic—necromancy if you like. The drums maintain a steady, almost doomed pulse; there’s no chaos in them, but there is tension, marking a march in the head of someone going into a very personal war.

Leila Addams’ vocals here sound much more sincere, more direct, at times slightly strained, and in certain moments it even feels like she’s ready to break her voice just to convey the right emotion. I’ve always respected that in artists — the ability to push themselves all the way, to squeeze out every last drop of their potential and not shy away from imperfections, because those are exactly what make music truly alive. All of this comes across as organic, even with the clear sense of grotesque and theatricality in the delivery. That’s Leila Addams’ style: there’s always something excessive, a bit hyperbolic in her music, but she presents it so naturally that there’s never any sense of pretense. On the contrary, you believe her completely, and every arrangement choice feels like a logical extension of her personality. ‘Bones’ makes you imagine that something strange runs through her veins — a mix of molten metal and dark velvet. This kind of sound can’t be imitated — it has to be lived.

Leila Addams’ music has always been strikingly free from genre boundaries and labels. It blends everything usually kept apart: gothic rock motifs, symphonic metal, dramatic vocals, and piercing screams. And that’s exactly what you’ll hear right from the opening track ‘Into the Darkness’ on her new EP ‘Bones’. It immediately becomes clear that Leila no longer intends to play it safe — she’s diving headfirst into the most aggressive and bold sound she’s ever explored. She has fully shed all limitations and simply decided to unleash her inner musical demon.

photo by Ralphy Valle

The next track, ‘Web of Lies’, gently brings the listener back down to earth, but does so with lavish theatricality and an air of mystery. And while the song feels slightly more grounded, it carries something elevated and dramatic, almost cinematic — as if a gothic mansion suddenly filled with the light of a hundred candles, and in that mystical atmosphere, Leila Addams herself stood holding a glass of wine, staring straight into your eyes. Dark romanticism? There’s plenty of it here.

‘Safe & Sound’ takes us into another dimension — one ruled by rock opera with touches of symphonic metal. Rhythmic drums and groovy guitars march forward with confidence, balancing on a fine line between darkness and something epic, something monumental. Leila Addams’ voice cuts through this thick musical fog, but instead of releasing you from the tension, it pulls you even deeper into her universe of passion. If I had to describe this EP with a single image, I’d say without hesitation: it’s a rosebush of deep crimson blooms with long, sharp thorns dripping cold, fresh blood.

And then, just when the tension reaches its peak, ‘Happy Ever After’ appears — unexpectedly offering a moment to slow down and catch your breath. The light shimmer of keys at the beginning feels almost soothing. But the track soon begins to build, slowly gaining momentum until it reaches its climax in the chorus, where it bursts into melodic sparks, sweeping you into its whirlwind.

And of course, the final track — ‘Bones’, the title piece — closes everything out with maximum impact. Here, low gothic keys set a sinister backdrop, while Leila Addams’ voice gains an almost otherworldly depth and fullness thanks to subtle but striking vocal effects. It feels like you’ve stepped into some kind of neon-lit art gallery, where everything is melting around you, creating a dense atmosphere of melancholy — and yes, a touch of madness.

Few releases can boast such a vivid and cinematic sound, but ‘Bones’ holds the set standard — moreover, this EP raises the bar even higher. This EP is a spot-on musical strike. Every track feels handcrafted, and throughout the entire record there’s a distinct, almost signature imprint of Leila Addams. This is the kind of release you want to own, to return to again and again, diving back into that gothic world over and over. And this — this is nowhere near the limit of what she can do. This doesn’t even scratch the surface of her creative madness. I’m sitting here with my ears burning and fingers itching with anticipation: what’s next? Where else will her wild, gothic imagination take her? One thing’s clear — what we’ve heard now is only the beginning of something much bigger. And trust me, I’ll be waiting.

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