Off Sawikin's forthcoming album, Row Me Away, the pre-pandemic song "Golden Days" is about longing for the way things used to be and what is happening today.
(New York, NY)
For the past decade, Leo Sawikin has steadily evolved his sound, spending hours both in the studio and in writing rooms, culminating in Row Me Away—his upcoming fourth album, and the first to be released under his own name —his first three were recorded under the name The Chordaes.
“Golden Days” will be the first single off Row Me Away, which is slated for a 2021 release. The song is reminiscent of Pet Sounds and Bridge Over Troubled Water, while still creating a vibe that’s entirely it's own. The song was inspired by a trip Leo took with friends in the summer of 2019. While savoring that time with those special friends, he had a premonition of impending change and flashed on an image of his future self looking back on the moment with longing.
“Way back then, life was serene, but we blew it all to smithereens.” - Lyrics to "Golden Days"
The record was produced by Grammy-winning producer Marc Swersky and largely mixed by Tony Black, himself a Grammy winner as the recording engineer for The Diary of Alicia Keys. Leo and Marc mixed “Wasting My Whole Life” themselves. With the release of “Golden Days”, Leo hopes to bring comfort and consolation to listeners as we all witness the unfolding of a new world.
LINKS to streaming and major digital outlets.
Stream on Spotify.
About Leo Sawikin
Leo Sawikin is an old soul, one who would have thrived in the prime of the Tin Pan Alley days—furiously and tirelessly composing beautiful ballads in rooms with open windows on West 28th Street in New York City. Although the city still swells with the sounds of ghosts past, the music landscape has drastically changed. Now more than ever, Leo finds himself longing for the days that were.
Like many artists, Leo uses his music and songwriting as his primary way to connect with the world. Since very young, Leo was described as having Non-Verbal Learning Disability. But because it has not yet been included in the DSM and presents in various ways, it is often overlooked and misunderstood. In Leo’s case, it affects his ability to receive and interpret non-verbal forms of communication. “I have always had trouble paying attention to people’s non-verbal signals. I understand them as well as anyone, but my thoughts are very scattered so I often miss them.”
By the age of 5, he was getting into trouble at school. This was eventually tamed by medications, but they had a numbing effect on his mood and ability to connect with peers. At age 9, Leo picked up a guitar and by 12 he was immersed in workshops and music camps, where he found that songcraft came naturally. It’s proven to be his greatest strength and has become the catalyst for living his life off medication.
“Music has always been my secret weapon to combat this. It brings me to a place outside of all of my problems, and the dream I have is that when other people listen to it they will be brought to that same place. In that space, we all share, none of our differences matter, and understanding one another is as effortless as the sound of the music traveling through the air. My goal in life is to bring as many people to that place as possible.”
Prior to the pandemic, Leo recorded a string of anthems that seem to foreshadow life as we now know it. Questioning whether we're headed for the dystopian future we've all been fearing, the songs chronicle the vastly changing world, a society teetering on the edge, and the transformative power of hindsight.
“It's about letting go of the past to carve out a new future. " - Leo Sawikin
For more information on Leo Sawikin, please visit his website.
Contact: hello@leosawikin.com | jen@ue3promotions.com