David Myles - Leave Tonight (2020)

Still in the midst of his Le Grand Départ, David Myles releases the title-track from his next album, “Leave Tonight” in which he indulges in a shared moment, and waxes on the merits of giving yourself over completely to the possibility of blissfully committing to a far more sedentary lifestyle.

In the wake of his father’s sudden passing, Myles has dug deep to release what is, perhaps, his most personal song to date. It’s certainly no “Inner Ninja.” Rather, Myles gives a nod to Roy Orbison in his ongoing efforts to revisit the entire history of music and reinvent everything anew, but the result shines with a light all his own.

“’Leave Tonight’ is about the power of intimacy,” says Myles. “The energy between two people. And how that energy can be so powerful the rest of the world just disappears. It’s about wanting that moment to last forever, knowing that it can’t. The world will eventually creep in again but in that moment it doesn’t stand a chance.”

Admittedly, “Leave Tonight” is miles ahead (no pun intended), from where we left off with his 2017 album, Real Love, which felt more Orbison than Myles, or his 2018 French album, Le grand départ. “Leave Tonight” shows that Myles has progressed to where he no longer needs to look to past masters to craft a masterful tune.

“I felt like I had to recommit to music and make this count,” says Myles. “I wanted to find out who I was in my most natural musical habitat, I’ve made a lot of records that have been like David Myles doing this…. I wanted to make something that sounded like me.”