In the heat of summer and with travel restrictions still ever-changing, it’s up to our imaginations to help us get away. It’s this sort of dreamy escapism which characterises the latest single and video from folk-rock newbie Leo Sawikin, and it’s a track - and a video - which has utterly compelled us.
The visuals for this track, newly released, show Leo making a break for it on the sands of some tropical paradise, yet B roll footage reveals he hasn’t left the neon-lit room from which the video just began. This bid for freedom makes Sawikin’s songwriting style incredibly relatable, whilst at the same time sounding nostalgic and making clear that this is an old soul.
It’s no secret that Leo Sawikin knows his music history. Citing Carole King and Brian Wilson amongst his primary inspirations, Leo nevertheless manages to make this track sound wholly unique and personal at the same time.
There’s also an element of grunge in this track, with chord progressions and guitar tone echoing some of the greats from the ‘90s, such as the Smashing Pumpkins. Leo proves with this release that he can take recognisable cues from throughout music history and combine them into something that sounds familiar and yet new at the same time.
“I wanted to evoke a feeling of blasting away from earth or from our universe in search of something brand new and entirely different.” Leo speaks to this notion, not of timelessness, per se, but more that intangible feeling of deja vu - we’ve been here before, but we’re not quite sure when or where that was.
Old and new combine in this track, and video which shows Leo walking a new path but following in old footsteps. “When most people ‘row away’ somewhere, they’re not just looking for a new world, but ideally a place where the familiar is accessible,” says Leo.
It’s a brilliant visual representation of a song which sounds like the equivalent of venturing somewhere new, only to have that overwhelming feeling that, in actual fact, you’re returning home.
