YORK singer-songwriter Leon Robert Winteringham has self-released his debut album, a record that has been two and a half years in the making.

He is doing so under the guise of The LRW Project, the initials taken from his name, with the black-and-white artwork using the cobbled York streets by the Minster that added to the romantic thrill of the climactic scenes of Sally Wainwright's latest television hit, Gentleman Jack.

"I could have done this many years ago, but I just would not have had the focus needed at the time to put out a solid enough record," says Leon. "It’s all about timing, now is the right time... that and the fact that I swore to myself that I would release an album before I hit 30.

"I suppose the record is just about my 20s: all the loves, all the repeating and all the wondering. All relatable stuff; I’m no special case. Just life! You know!"

His influences? "People always say I have an Eighties' sound and I won’t argue. After all, you’re only a product of what you listen to and I was brought up on a lot of Eighties' stuff around the house, New Wave, all the popular stuff.

"Then, being a Nineties' child, there was all that going on, mixed with some Trance, until I discovered the guitar at the age of 11/12. From there on, it was big arena rock, but it changes every day. A good song is a good song!"

Leon wrote To Love, Repeat & Wonder throughout 2017 and early 2018. "But I shelved it multiple times because I didn't think it was good enough!" he admits. "It was only when I let a few people listen to the demos that I started to realise I actually had quite a catchy album on my hands, and set about recording it properly at the end of 2018 with the Graves brothers."

Wonder no more, The LWR Project has lift-off. Play, love and repeat.