LEAP releases stripped-back version of debut album Entropy

LEAP just released a stripped-back version of Entropy and it’s the emotional gut-punch we didn’t know we needed.

If you’ve ever seen LEAP live, you know the vibe: it’s loud, it’s sweaty, and lead singer Jack Balfour Scott usually sounds like he’s pouring every ounce of his soul into the microphone. When their debut album Entropy dropped back in October, it was exactly what we needed to scream along to in a packed basement.

But today, the boys have done something a little different. They’ve officially released the stripped-back version of two of their favourite tracks, “Do or Die” and “The Downfall” and honestly? I’m not okay.

We already knew LEAP had the anthems. We knew they could sell out shows across Europe and get a mosh pit moving before the first chorus even hit. But when you take away the wall of sound and the driving percussion, you’re left with the skeleton of these songs. And let me tell you, the bones are beautiful.

What’s cool about this release is that it doesn’t just sound like the "quiet version" of the songs we already know. On this version of Entropy, the “disorder” feels less like a riot and more like a quiet conversation at 3 A.M. It’s intimate, it’s a little bit bruised, and it feels incredibly human.

Without the heavy production to compete with, Jacky’s voice is front and center. You can hear every breath, every crack, every tremble at the beginning of “The Downfall”. In the original, the energy comes from the noise. Here, the energy comes from the silence. There’s a cinematic quality to these arrangements—lots of delicate acoustic plucking and moody piano (which Hector Cottam switched his drums for)—that gives the melodies room to actually breathe. Stark and a little bit haunting, it’s deep and it’s beautiful. The first track concludes with a spectral quality, as the harmonies drift without a beat to anchor them.

Who am I? Terrified, nevermind

Take a bullet for the life we killed

You know I feel it still

But maybe we could start to heal

The stripped version of “Do or Die” hits differently—it’s actually a bit hard to listen to in the best way possible. By stripping everything back to just that lonely piano, the song loses its armor and becomes something much more raw and, at times, genuinely heart-wrenching. There’s a real sense of pain in the vocals that you just don't catch in the original. Just as the piano begins to settle, a subtle guitar line weaves into the outro, adding a final layer of grit to the sadness.

Since signing to Epitaph and selling out most of their upcoming tour, it would have been easy for the quartet to just keep chasing the "loud." If the original album was the night out you’ll never forget, this is a late-night bus ride. It’s raw, it’s real, and it’s LEAP at their most authentic.