In New Zealand, finding friends can be difficult. Not only are over a quarter of the country’s residents from foreign countries (via New Zealand Census), but all those people are separated by massive mountain ranges that span across virtually the entire country. Auckland, New Zealand’s Leisure can attest to the fact that loneliness becomes an unavoidable part of life within their home country. Their 2016 single “Alone Together” bears witness to the conventionalized coping mechanism adopted by most Kiwis. The song explains the unstoppable nature of attraction amidst loneliness, as neither physical distance nor mental disconnect can break the reciprocal bond shared by two lovers. Just like Marvin Gaye proclaimed over 50 years prior from the streets of Detroit, “Ain’t no mountain high enough.”

If you’re wondering why the group named themselves Leisure, look no further than their boastful music video for “Alone Together.” The video showcases the band flourishing in relaxation as they sit on the porch of New Zealand’s northwestern point of Muriwai. The stunning mountains of New Zealand span for miles only to be broken by a sunset beaming light off a complementary ocean and back onto the canopied cliff sides of the surrounding ridge. Complex and remarkable as Leisure’s home country may be, their personal explanation for the simplicity of their name is much more straightforward. Leisure pointed out to the New Zealand Music Commission that “It means that we have to have a really good time doing this. We’ve all been in the industry for years, writing and producing songs for others, but this is our way to remind ourselves why we got into music for the first place. To express ourselves, and for the sheer love of it.”