Unsinkable Sam is the new release from Leo Brazil - named after a famous cat it is dedicated to companion animals lost at sea during human misadventures
On 16/5/25 singer/songwriter Leo Brazil releases “Unsinkable Sam", the fourth release from his upcoming album "Alone".
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Unsinkable Sam is a dreamy piece of folk rock with an alternative woozy psychedelic edge that explores dreams, memories and trauma through a naval tale from the second world war and stands as a tribute to animals caught up in humans' struggles and conflicts.
Unsinkable Sam was a cat aboard the battleship Bismarck during world war 2. After the ship was sunk he was picked up clinging to a piece of wreckage by HMS Cossack. He repeated the experience shortly afterwards when Cossack was torpedoed and then a final time when he was rescued from the sinking of Ark Royal. After his third sinking he retired to the navy base in Belfast.
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Leo explains the origin of the song "I had a few bad dreams where I met a watery end and wrote the most abstract third verse in which the protagonist sinks under the waves in the notebook I keep by my bed. I had some ideas on the guitar and recorded a demo version. It sat unused and unfinished for over a decade. I had setup a mailing list and as a fun way to welcome new subscribers, I would email them a fact about their favourite animal; cat was the most commonly picked animal. I got a few ideas researching those facts and one story I found was Unsinkable Sam. I imagined him sat in the armchair after he retired, dozing off dreaming about all the disasters he had survived. I revisited the old demo from years ago and wrote more lyrics with the title in mind. The lyrics are quite dreamy and impressionistic, the verse about being buried under snow was inspired by the exploits of the explorers trying to find the North-West passage and the animals who were taken along on the ships. ​In my mind this song is dedicated to all the creatures who never returned from being taken on humans' voyages."
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The track and album artwork was created by Leo in a collaboration with author and illustrator Sophie Corrigan.​
The album "Alone is scheduled for release in September with another two songs to be previewed in the build up. ​​​
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"Alone" takes its title to a literal conclusion: entirely written, performed, mixed and documented on video by Leo and Leo alone. Leo set out to create something authentic and personal as an act of catharsis and rebirth during the end of a marriage. To give the album a raw and live feeling each song was recorded with vocals and guitar simultaneously with Leo adding a limited number of instruments to the initial performance. The entire process has been documented with a video showing each song being recorded in Leo's studio.
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Leo Brazil is working hard establishing Birds and Beasts Records to promote the music he makes with several different projects, some of which are yet to be announced. The initial releases from "Alone" picked up some great reviews and the debut single from his dinosaur themed psych rock quartet "Bone Wars" has been creating a buzz around that project too. 2025 promises to be an exciting year with several more releases from both of these albums whilst other music is being developed behind the scenes.
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Press/quotes
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"...written in an extremely clever way which makes it gut-wrenchingly relatable to so many. This is a very impressive songwriting ability, and I eagerly anticipate the rest of this album."
- Songs Behind The Music
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"...beautifully balances moments of introspection and sadness with a sense of hope and determination...brimming with addictive hooks that stay with you long after the song has ended."
- Click Roll Boom
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"every second feels vivid and colorful"
- Bad Wolf Records
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"Your charisma as both a performer and songwriter really shines through"
- New Champion Management​​​​
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"Forward-thinking, fresh and familiar and soaked in lysergic trippiness, the perfect blend of occident and orient, eastern spice and western groove."
- review of band "Bone Wars" from The Big Takeover