"She’s always got a song in her pocket / She’s waiting on the band to run / She’s made a life out of living yeah / But when she’s ready to go back home she’ll let you know..."
The light hearted sadness and heavy helping a' hope of "Pocket", by Oakland - California based devoted genre-bending indie artist DI LEO, is uniquely drawn, abstractly constructed and begs to be played during midnight rides in your car. You know, that comfortable place for reflecting and singing along to your favorite chorus even though "Pocket" really doesn't have one. Anyone who frequents American Pancake knows that I am an old soul and, um, well, actually old so, once again within the off kilter things happening here in this song I can't help but feel the wonderful obtuse 70's pop rock sea of things happening here. The trancy acoustic guitar strums, the highly impressionistic lyrical poetry, the storytelling that feels at once factual but stretched to the point of breaking, the wonderful vocal countenance and the washed out vocal sound, the linear structure with a narrative that just flows and flows without a chorus at all and then dives headfirst into a horn solo.
This is super dreamy, like fever dreamy and chill in it's emotional edges softened by what might (or might not) be frustration that turns into a bit of 'laissez faire' when all is said. It is not that melancholy but feels a bit sad, it flirts with optimistic embraces (up to a point) and there is a fatalistic kind of aesthetic, that whatever comes will come and some will survive and some might not (but likely will). At least that is what I am feeling in a brilliant kind of 70's indie pop way, (artistically) like an amalgam of Lennon with Harry Nilsson with Stealers Wheel and Burt Bacharach.
That's all I got.
LINER NOTES (about the approach and the upcoming new album- bracketed):
[The Experiment]
[I’m dropping singles with music videos ahead of a March 28th release show. Pocket will be released publicly January 30th. The full album will be available on streaming for a limited window starting March 1st, then removed from Spotify in the U.S. on April 30th, with the singles staying up. Listeners who want the full record can hear it for free through the San Francisco Public Library.]
[That same year, DI LEO released LT2 with Left Tracks, his collaborative project with Kabir Kumar (Sun Kin). The record is an eclectic full-length follow-up to End Times Hauling, highlighting the duo’s energetic writing process and shared musical language. Songs like “Here on the Lawn” nod to 1990s-2000s midwest emo and indie rock influences—echoing bands like Death Cab for Cutie—while following Left Tracks’ own idiosyncratic sense of structure and momentum.]
[DI LEO’s music is marked by elusive melodies, dynamic time signatures, and a persistent quest for emotional clarity. His process often moves between solo writing retreats in remote locations and deeply collaborative recording sessions filled with creatives from his community like Lizzy Dutton, Geoff Saba, and Fieldress. He has hosted several collaborative writing and recording retreats under the banner Pre Collective in his hometown of Nevada City, and remains embedded in Oakland’s DIY music scene through organizing and hosting shows at The Tree House.]
-Robb Donker Curtius
LYRICS / Poetry
She’s always got a song in her pocket /
[DI LEO’s music is marked by elusive melodies, dynamic time signatures, and a persistent quest for emotional clarity. His process often moves between solo writing retreats in remote locations and deeply collaborative recording sessions filled with creatives from his community like Lizzy Dutton, Geoff Saba, and Fieldress. He has hosted several collaborative writing and recording retreats under the banner Pre Collective in his hometown of Nevada City, and remains embedded in Oakland’s DIY music scene through organizing and hosting shows at The Tree House.]
-Robb Donker Curtius
LYRICS / Poetry
She’s always got a song in her pocket /
She’s waiting on the band to run /
She’s made a life out of living yeah /
But when she’s ready to go back home she’ll let you know /
She’s made a life out of singing yeah /
From everything she’s said she’s still invested /
Arrested from this day forth /
To abandon lies there’s no future there /
The crowd welcomes her back home /
Oh yeah she’ll let them know /
That she’s fighting the good fight that’s worth risking /
Why am I so worried?
This ain’t enough? /
I’m through with this /
I’m singing Bowie /
No you don’t know me
I found the song in heart /
Time to turn the page /
Don’t read what they say /
No you can’t stop it /
So you pull another song out of your pocket
The Chicken Wheel will take you to the AP Go Fund Me- and any amount is so appreciated!
https://open.spotify.com/artist/4FxouQFPM2oSkXRWTcTUKv
https://www.youtube.com/@di_leo_music
https://dileomusic.bandcamp.com/album/pre-spring-2
https://www.instagram.com/di_leo_music
https://www.facebook.com/IAMDILEOMUSIC/
https://dileomusic.substack.com/
DI LEO is an indie rock, genre-bending, devoted musician living in Oakland, CA.
In late 2025, DI LEO released his second full-length solo album, Never Come Never Go, exclusively through the San Francisco Public Library. The project marked an intentional move away from traditional release models, guiding listeners toward public institutions to engage with music collectively and without cost. In early 2026, the album will receive a brief release on broader streaming platforms before returning to the SF Public Library as its permanent home, alongside physical formats.
That same year, DI LEO released LT2 with Left Tracks, his collaborative project with Kabir Kumar (Sun Kin). The record is an eclectic full-length follow-up to End Times Hauling, highlighting the duo’s energetic writing process and shared musical language. Songs like “Here on the Lawn” nod to 1990s-2000s midwest emo and indie rock influences—echoing bands like Death Cab for Cutie—while following Left Tracks’ own idiosyncratic sense of structure and momentum.
DI LEO’s music is marked by elusive melodies, dynamic time signatures, and a persistent quest for emotional clarity. His process often moves between solo writing retreats in remote locations and deeply collaborative recording sessions filled with creatives from his community like Lizzy Dutton, Geoff Saba, and Fieldress. He has hosted several collaborative writing and recording retreats under the banner Pre Collective in his hometown of Nevada City, and remains embedded in Oakland’s DIY music scene through organizing and hosting shows at The Tree House.
In the years following the pandemic, DI LEO released the solo EP Half Rest, a meditation on the strange stillness and emotional contradictions of lockdown, while supporting and collaborating with artists including Madeline Kenny, Fieldress, and Zelma Stone. In 2020, after years performing in various projects, he released his debut solo album You Wanted to Listen from Outside My Room I Guess—a chaotic, emotionally charged record featuring numerous local collaborators. That same year, he co-founded Left Tracks and released the duo’s debut EP End Times Hauling.
DI LEO, indie pop, indie rock, abstract pop, alt pop, folk, 70's off kilter pop, angst pop, dreamy, narcotic, "Pocket" (Official Video), upcoming album, Oakland California, artist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist,
The Chicken Wheel will take you to the AP Go Fund Me- and any amount is so appreciated!
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM
https://open.spotify.com/artist/4FxouQFPM2oSkXRWTcTUKv
https://www.youtube.com/@di_leo_music
https://dileomusic.bandcamp.com/album/pre-spring-2
https://www.instagram.com/di_leo_music
https://www.facebook.com/IAMDILEOMUSIC/
https://dileomusic.substack.com/
DI LEO is an indie rock, genre-bending, devoted musician living in Oakland, CA.
In late 2025, DI LEO released his second full-length solo album, Never Come Never Go, exclusively through the San Francisco Public Library. The project marked an intentional move away from traditional release models, guiding listeners toward public institutions to engage with music collectively and without cost. In early 2026, the album will receive a brief release on broader streaming platforms before returning to the SF Public Library as its permanent home, alongside physical formats.
That same year, DI LEO released LT2 with Left Tracks, his collaborative project with Kabir Kumar (Sun Kin). The record is an eclectic full-length follow-up to End Times Hauling, highlighting the duo’s energetic writing process and shared musical language. Songs like “Here on the Lawn” nod to 1990s-2000s midwest emo and indie rock influences—echoing bands like Death Cab for Cutie—while following Left Tracks’ own idiosyncratic sense of structure and momentum.
DI LEO’s music is marked by elusive melodies, dynamic time signatures, and a persistent quest for emotional clarity. His process often moves between solo writing retreats in remote locations and deeply collaborative recording sessions filled with creatives from his community like Lizzy Dutton, Geoff Saba, and Fieldress. He has hosted several collaborative writing and recording retreats under the banner Pre Collective in his hometown of Nevada City, and remains embedded in Oakland’s DIY music scene through organizing and hosting shows at The Tree House.
In the years following the pandemic, DI LEO released the solo EP Half Rest, a meditation on the strange stillness and emotional contradictions of lockdown, while supporting and collaborating with artists including Madeline Kenny, Fieldress, and Zelma Stone. In 2020, after years performing in various projects, he released his debut solo album You Wanted to Listen from Outside My Room I Guess—a chaotic, emotionally charged record featuring numerous local collaborators. That same year, he co-founded Left Tracks and released the duo’s debut EP End Times Hauling.
DI LEO, indie pop, indie rock, abstract pop, alt pop, folk, 70's off kilter pop, angst pop, dreamy, narcotic, "Pocket" (Official Video), upcoming album, Oakland California, artist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist,
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