Leo Sawikin Releases 'New York I'm Coming Home Today'

New York City singer / songwriter Leo Sawikin released “New York I’m Coming Home” - the fourth single off his upcoming summer 2024 album release recorded at Pearl Jam’s Stone Gossard’s Studio Litho in Seattle with producer Phil Ek (Fleet Foxes, Modest Mouse, The Shins). 

The former front man of the indie band The Chordaes wrote this 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. “I wrote the song last year on my first solo trip to Europe, “ says Sawikin.  

“I took the train from Rome to Barcelona, stopping in several cities along the way. The wonder of it all really allowed me to step outside of my head and just be alive to what was around me. I felt a bit reborn and excited to bring this new perspective, new pieces of myself really, home to New York City.”  The song, featured on Americana Highways today, said, “Leo Sawikin carries us to the heights of splendor of celebrating ones place in the thriving metropolis and glorious cultural mecca that calls people home from all around the globe.” 

Sawikin will bring these songs and more when he joins Jon McLaughlin of his 10-city 2023 Holiday Tour beginning December 4 in Atlanta (all dates listed below).

Sawikin’s self-described style of “indie folk pop with a dreamy shimmer” is apparent in the three singles he’s already this year 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…”

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 voicings 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!”

Tour Dates (all with Jon McLaughlin):

MON, Dec 4 at City Winery in Atlanta, GA

TUE, Dec 5 at The Franklin Theatre in Franklin, TN

SAT, Dec 9 at City Winery in St. Louis, MO (2 Shows: Matinee + Night)

SUN, Dec 10 at City Winery in Chicago, IL (2 Shows: Matinee + Night)

TUE, Dec 12 at City Winery in Pittsburgh, PA

WED, Dec 13 at The Birchmere in Alexandria, VA

FRI, Dec 15 at Rams Head On Stage in Annapolis, MD

SUN, Dec 17 at City Winery in Philadelphia, PA

MON, Dec 18 at City Winery in New York, NY

TUE, Dec 19 at City Winery in Boston, MA

Photo Credit: Josh Brennan