Somebody remembers the part of your story you were hoping to leave out. Somebody keeps asking questions just to hear your voice. Somebody has their coat on but hasn’t quite managed to leave.
While We’re Here, an eight-song album by Bill Leyden, finds humor, longing, and pleasure in those moments. Warm, guitar-forward roots folk/rock meets a supple country-funk groove, with conversational vocals and close harmonies carrying stories about friendship, attraction, family, and making room for one another.
Listen to While We’re Here on Bandcamp.
The album begins with the social comedy of “You Know Everybody” and the affectionate absurdity of “Never Enough Flannel.” There’s room for a little vanity here—and apparently room for another closet.
Then the feelings become harder to disguise. “I Miss Being Missed” admits the longing beneath a well-practiced claim that everything is fine. “I Like Your Nerve” enjoys the unsettling pleasure of being wanted by someone who makes it obvious.
In “You Haven’t Changed a Bit,” an old friend remembers a version of you that you may have lost sight of. “Just Ask”finds tenderness in wanting someone’s company even when they’re tired and have nothing left to offer but themselves.
The penultimate song, “You Don’t Have to Go Yet,” sits with a parent and grown child as a visit stretches beyond its intended goodbye. Pride in a child’s independence lives alongside the ache of hearing about so much of their life after it happens.
By the closing title track, curiosity is getting the better of caution. There’s something unfamiliar to taste, a bottle that’s been saved long enough, and something he’s wanted to try for years. He’d like some company. They can be beginners together.
While We’re Here leaves a chair open at the table.
Explore the album on Bandcamp.
