New York, NY (Top40 Charts) New York City singer / songwriter Leo Sawikin is set to release "Till You're Somebody Else" April 2 ahead of his upcoming 2024 album release he recorded at
Pearl Jam's Stone Gossard's Studio Litho in Seattle with producer Phil Ek (Grouplove, Fleet Foxes, Modest Mouse). The track was mastered by Greg Calbi (The Smile, Bob Dylan, Bon Iver) at Sterling Sound.
Sawikin wrote "Till You're Somebody Else" after reading about the growth and development of the human body. He couldn't stop thinking about the impermanence within us and the world around us. "We are always changing and evolving, even on a literal cellular level," says Sawikin. "I read that all the matter in our bodies is replaced every seven years. So, in effect we are in a state of constant death and rebirth, both within our bodies and minds, and in between our current and future lives. The song was created from a place of wanting to let go of myself and reconnect to the universe. The idea that this life is just a moment in time brings me a lot of hope and a sense of relief."
Sawikin, the former front man of the indie band The Chordaes, describes his solo work as "indie folk pop with a dreamy shimmer" and it's apparent in the five songs he's already released beginning with the May 5 release of "
Hold On" which Earmilk calls "a "…masterpiece." And said the song "…takes listeners on an emotional rollercoaster that they won't soon forget. The song showcases Leo Sawikin's innate talent and ability to craft introspective and relatable songs." His August 22 release of "The Same Mistakes" had Celeb Mix saying the songs is "…a low-slung, softly gleaming guitar topped by Sawikin's oh-so evocative voice, at once tender and wistful…rolls into a delicious, throbbing rhythm, swaying on gentle undulations. Slowly building, the tune takes on a glowing wall of sound, full of enveloping resonance and gorgeous, shimmering coloration." Neufutur hailed Sawikin's vocals on "Don't Pass It By," released October 13, as "…a deeply felt, attentive, and highly musical performance… That falsetto note during the song's chorus puts a graceful touch on an already elegant performance…" He released "New York I'm Coming Home" November 14, an uplifting song about the joys of coming home again and seeing your surroundings with a fresh pair of eyes after being away for a long period of time. He most recently released "This River" January 19, 2024.
Sawikin released his debut album Row Me Away in 2021 during Covid. American Songwriter said of the album's first single, "Golden Days," "We're in contemplative times, and 'old soul' Leo Sawikin followed the path paved by pop music's classic songwriters, effectively capturing the longing for the simplicity of the past on his debut single…" He released two other tracks, "A Whole World Waiting" and "Born Too Late," that scored indie radio spins in the U.S. and the UK.
Sawikin sees the lockdown era as a creative dividing line between Row Me Away and the exciting new material he wrote for his upcoming album. Whereas the music on Row Me Away was steeped in a sense of anxiety and dread, the new songs are about learning to live and find peace in the moment, even in the face of an uncertain future. Musically, Sawikin says that he wanted to approach the sessions with Phil Ek differently from both his 2021 solo work and his time with The Chordaes. "I'm always trying to develop and explore new musical possibilities for myself," he says. "For one, I wanted to do a record that showcased my chord voicing's in a way that was much more up front than I had in the past. And on previous recordings, I worked with a full backing band, but this time Phil encouraged me to do all the guitar parts myself and to come up with and play all the keyboard parts as well. It was quite a challenge, but I feel like there's more of me on these new tracks, and that we really were able to distill the songs to their essence. Now, I'm just looking forward to seeing how people respond!"
Sawikin will bring these songs and more when he joins
Jon McLaughlin of his 2024 tour beginning May 5 in Los Angeles (all dates listed below).
Leo Sawikin Tour Dates (all with Jon McLaughlin) + Set Times:
May 5 - Los Angeles, CA at Troubadour, 9:00pm
May 7 - Phoenix, AZ at Musical Instrument Museum, 7:00pm
May 8 - San Diego, CA at The Holding Company, 8:00pm
May 10 - Oakland, CA at Yoshi's, 8:00pm
May 12 - Portland, OR at McMenamins Mission Theatre, 8:30pm
May 13 - Seattle, WA at Fremont Abbey Arts Center, 7:30pm
June 9 - Asheville, NC at The Grey Eagle, 8:00pm
June 10 - Durham, NC at Motorco
Music Hall, 8:00pm
June 12 - Richmond, VA at The Tin Pan, 8:00pm
June 13 - Columbia, MD at The
Collective Encore, 8:00pm
