Can a song be simultaneously about dealing with arachnophobia, starting a new life, the end of a relationship and a reaction to divisions in society?
On 24th March singer/songwriter Leo Brazil releases “Why Can't We Live Together", the third release from his upcoming album "Alone".
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Whilst on the surface a straightforward song that displays its retro folk/country/blues influence with pride, this song has an unusual origin story. Leo Brazil is a songwriter who often explores how writing about a very specific topic can grow into something that stretches beyond the initial intention, sometimes recalling a time, place or person and sometimes an emotion. Leo explains the origin of his song:
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"I was a teacher for ten years and on my final day in the job I was asked to destroy a wooden sandpit which turned out to be home to a particularly large spider. As a recovering arachnophobe I was both fascinated and scared as I tried to guide them into a new home nearby.
With a combination of guilt and the excitement about my new life I started the song as soon as I got home thinking about the parallels between me following my musical dreams and the spider being forced to start over too, it's sort of a dialogue between me and the spider. The song sat unfinished for a while - until the breakup of my marriage and band when the other verses came easily - I guess there were similarities between the story of the spider and what I was going through at the time. At its heart it's a song about forgiveness, regret, understanding and fresh starts.
By the time I was recording the song I had found that audiences resonated with the simple question of the title "Why Can't We Live Together?" - the times we live in are so divisive and polarised. I had experience of people getting sucked into hateful groups and losing themselves so as I was recording the song it also became a way of trying to open a dialogue and bring people back together."​​​
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The track and album artwork was created by Leo in a collaboration with author and illustrator Sophie Corrigan with the "Why Can't We Live Together?" illustration drawing inspiration from the rubber hose animation style of the 1920s.
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The album "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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Biography in medium, short and ultra short versions
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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