Leiana is the brainchild of front woman, Leiana and studio musician/pro-skater Chuck Treece. Leiana looks like a harder version of Liz Phair. Treece, on the other hand, has worked on a wide variety of project ranging from Bad Brains to Sting to his own band, McRad. Leiana blends the raw skate punk energy that Treece brings to the table with Leiana's femininity which helps to make No Going Back more palatable for fans with less aggressive tastes.No Going Back kicks off with the blistering "2 B Unkind." Right out of the gate Leiana shows she's go some sass and is not to be disregarded simply because she's a female. The raw, gritty guitars create a nice contrast with Leiana's vocals. "Couldn't Tell" is the shortest song on the record clocking in at just under two minutes. The song is also the closest to Treece's skate punk roots with it's up beat drums and guitars that could easily transfer to an early hardcore song.
It is almost as if No Going Back was made as two separate EP's. "Whichside" begins to signal a transition to the second half of the record that is much more mellow than the first half. The songs still has the gritty, raw guitars and Leiana's is still tackling the vocals with aggression. When "Bitter" begins it's clear that the album has shifted focus. The song is slower than any of the previous and has a bit more of a laid back groove.
After the first half of the album being full of energy and catchy hooks it's hard to get into the second half. The songs on the second half of No Going Back feature much more aural space that had all been filled in earlier songs. "Friend" has got a dark groove to go with it's dark lyrics such as "he's my only friend," which is repeated several times throughout the song in a depressed tone.
"Me Again" is a welcomed rocker that seems to have slipped onto the second half of the album. With its fuzz filled guitars and megaphone vocals, the song picks up where earlier ones left off and the later ones should have continued.
For the last two songs on the album, Leiana shifts back to some of the more downtrodden songs that have marked the second half of the album. The album's closer "Da Vault" sounds like a mix between a dub and early Metallica songs that featured classical guitar intros. While the first half of No Going Back is a sold, catchy, punk record, the second half of the album lacks punch. Maybe some alterations in the track listing would solve this but it is more likely that swapping out some of the latter songs sound be swapped out to make the record more consistent.
