Occlusions is a smoke-filled room – equally alluring and haunted. The alt-R&B project is the work of vocalist Leigh Bahari (they/them) and producer Alex Gorischek (he/him). Their sound is dark and moody, with strong influences from FKA Twigs, Kelela, and Sevdaliza.  Listeners can experience this for themselves with the recent single that was dropped “Sleepwalker.”

Occlusions’ self-titled debut (out in May) is a trip through Leigh Bahari’s life experiences as a Black trans person living with chronic pain and a lot of feelings. The songs span topics including addiction, depression, love and relationships, gender euphoria, and racist violence. Previously involved in Seattle’s spoken word scene, Leigh is an expert storyteller weaving imagery and metaphor into every line.

The production is a blend of twisted synthesizer patches, distorted drum machines, layered vocal effects, and destructed found sounds. Most songs started as simple loops in jam sessions, developing over time into the full sequences required to support Leigh’s storytelling. Alex uses Occlusions to explore more rugged production ideas than in his other work, with key influences like Andy Stott, Arca, and Hudson Mohawke.

Leigh and Alex met in 2011 at a party in Seattle where neither of them wanted to be. They found each other trapped in boring conversations and soon started dreaming up a project together. But their first attempt at working together writing pop songs didn’t work out. At the time, Leigh was singing in local rock band Dirty Neon (fka Power Cassette) and was focused on making roaring feminist anthems. The band eventually broke up in 2014, leaving Leigh feeling creatively stranded.

Now in 2022, the duo reintroduce themselves with a self-titled LP. The album was written and recorded in Seattle both before and during the pandemic. Leigh has since moved to Philadelphia, but is returning to Seattle for an album release show at Cafe Racer on May 14.