From the opening notes on guitar, the new single from Lee Squires is an absorbing, memorable musical tale. In ‘Good Team’, The instrumental layers are warm and beautifully composed and arranged. Squires’ understated voice and low tones create the impression of an intimate, melodic conversation. There’s a real and heartfelt beauty in his disarming lyrics and gently rhythmic, delicate instrumentation. After its release in February, ‘Good Team’ has been played on Portuguese Radio (Antena 3) and has already been streamed more than 15,000 times on Spotify.
Squires says of the accompanying visual: “That’s me in the video and, funny story, it was actually shot without our knowledge.” While Squires was planning the video, a friend, Violeta, secretly filmed him with another friend, Rose, because she thought that their chemistry and interaction would be a perfect match for the song’s lyrical message. She sent Squires the footage she accumulated and the result does, indeed, reflect the song’s intimate words.
Originally from Hornchurch, Essex, Squires moved to Lisbon, Portugal in 2020, before setting up Cheap Wine Records in 2022. His first release was a cover of Michael Hurley’s song ‘Werewolf’ and he has also put out music under the moniker Leema, a folk duo with Mariana Costa, who also sings on ‘Good Team’. Leema’s album “Fresh Fish!” came out in 2024, a collection that showcases the gentle blend of Squires and Costa’s vocals. Squires is now releasing one single at a time, working towards a solo EP with the support of producers Tiago Saga (Time for T) and sound recordist Miguel Madeira. Saga had heard the ‘Good Team’ at Squires’ weekly open mic event that he hosts at La Sharada in Lisbon, loved the song and was keen to get involved. We can look forward to more melodic reflections from Squires in the coming months.
