Jesusfreakhideout.com: Brett Leyde, "Mercy

JFH Indie Review

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Brett Leyde
Mercy - Single

Artist Info: Discography
Street Date: March 24, 2025
Style: Indie / Alternative
Official Site: Instagram Profile
Buy It: Amazon Music

Brett Leyde is a PNW native from the Portland area. Leyde looks to explore the intersection of faith, longing, and the layered soundscapes of the indie/electronic world with his music. "Mercy" is Brett's third single (a fourth just released in May 2025), since February of 2024, and will be the title track of his upcoming 5-song EP. The tune hits the indie/acoustic kind of vibe, but before you know it, the electronic sound blends into the mix without you even noticing. It's a nice touch and gives the track a lot of atmosphere and depth. The song also features Brett's wife, Katie, with some stunning vocal harmonies.

The verses of "Mercy" cut deep. They force us to look inward at our own unrighteousness, failure, and filth. Leyde sings, "How can I forgive myself for helping to build a tower to Hell. Softly I remember You said, 'There's mercy'," in the song's opening. From there, Brett talks about hiding from judgement, overwhelming debts, and mocking God. However, the chorus offers the simplest, yet hopeful, message imaginable when he sings, "Crying mercy over me. Mercy over me. Mercy over me." The words aren't profound, but God's promise of never-ending mercy certainly is. Despite the shame mentioned in the verses, God's grace and mercy is always enough. It's a striking and important message. Musically, the song starts with a basic acoustic guitar and some background instrumentation, but unbeknownst to the listener, that acoustic guitar fades away at the 2:58 mark. The music subtly changes for about 34 seconds until a kick drum comes in at the chorus and the rest of the song maintains an electronic lead with a constant kick. The transition is executed brilliantly and delivers a lot of character.

Brett Leyde's "Mercy" is an excellent new song. I wouldn't call it a worship song per se, but I can absolutely see worshipping God to this song in a private and intimate moment with Him. It's more of a prayer and declaration: We require God's mercy in our lives. Leyde mentions wanting layered soundscapes in his music, and this track does just that from the acoustic guitar, the electronic backing, the beautiful harmonies, to the excellent transition in sound just past the halfway mark. There is so much to miss on the first pass, but thankfully the song draws you back in for subsequent listens to discover even more. I highly encourage doing just that.

- Review date: 5/30/25, written by Michael Weaver of Jesusfreakhideout.com

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Record Label: None

Album length: 1 track: 5 minutes, 8 seconds

Street Date: March 24, 2025

Buy It: Amazon Music

Mercy (5:08)
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Jesus Freak Hideout (Michael Weaver): "Mercy" is a double-edged sword or sorts. The verses cut deep. They show our failures, struggles, and shame, but that simple, simple chorus is all that we truly need. Can you talk about the inspiration for this song and the lyrical approach?

Brett Leyde: God’s mercy is the only thing that meets us in our places of failure. I sat down at the piano in a moment of prayer and reflection one day and spontaneously sang out “how can I forgive myself?” And I just sat in that for awhile. We’ve all laid stones on the Tower of Babel.

Contrasting that I was reminded of a Benedictine monastery outside of Portland where I’ve spent quite a bit of time. I was picturing the bell tower and their many calls to prayer throughout the day— each one an invitation to come and receive God’s mercy.

Beginning with that honest confession of failure I needed to remind myself that in the midst of our shortcomings, God’s mercy is never ending. I wanted the song to start in a broken space and take the listener on a journey, where at the end they’re floating in the never ending mercy of God.

JFH (Michael): I absolutely love the transition that this song undergoes around 3 minutes in. I didn’t even hear it the first two or three times and then had to go back and listen specifically to find where and how it happened. I’d really like to hear about the concept for pulling this off the way you did.

Brett: When I’m creating music I’m attempting to communicate a feeling. I’ve always loved folk, indie, alternative music. I thought it would be cool to begin with the picked acoustic guitars and an abstract synth/arpeggiator in the background.

I really credit my producer and friend Sam Alvarez for the sonic journey. We sat in my basement studio one night and he was creating these amazing synth sounds that i was just soaking in.

We figured out the ending of the song was this dreamy/floating space with vocal stacks, and the breakdown allowed the guitars to slip away, he added a kick, bass guitar, and it came pretty easily for us. It just felt right.

JFH (Michael): Katie’s vocals are an excellent addition here. Is she part of every song on the upcoming EP?

Brett: Oh man. Katie is so gifted. She’s an amazing artist in her own right, and because we’re constantly creating and working together she ends up contributing to basically all of my work.

She sings on 3 of the 5 songs of the EP (released June 8!). We’ve always loved singing together, and in the creative process she elevates all of my ideas and consistently makes me better. Lol. Definitely lots of synergy and I’m very grateful for such a supportive partner.

JFH (Michael): Do you play any local gigs or shows with your own material? How do you express your musical output outside of writing and recording?

Brett: Most of my musical energy goes into facilitating and participating in the We Are Bread & Wine artist community. We host monthly songwriting groups which feel kinda like open mic nights, where artists can get together and share their music and encourage each other. I serve in my local church, and help produce // record // co-write for folks as well. I haven’t done any gigs for these tunes but that sounds like a ton o’ fun.

JFH (Michael): You are also part of a collective of artists/creators called We Are Bread & Wine. Can you talk about their purpose and what they do?

Brett: YES. We Are Bread & Wine is a ministry whose mission is to cultivate creativity and what we call artistic discipleship. The passion is to create space for people to step more holistically into their creative calling. We host occasional worship nights and other creative projects.

We released our first live album, Broken & Poured Out, and are in production on our second EP. All of the artists and people involved are so talented and so many gave generously of their time and resources. We believe so much in that space and each of those people.

JFH (Michael): This seems like a very personal creative process for you. While we can all relate to the lyrics of “Mercy,” you can tell these are not generalized and generic lyrics: You’re singing them honestly. What has been God been teaching you through this process of writing and releasing these songs?

Brett: I usually am creating out of prayer. In my spiritual journey I have been becoming more and more aware of the Spirit’s invitation to each of us to live vulnerably, honestly, with God and one another. “The mask that I’ve been putting on wears thin— you see me.”

But the joy of that freedom of being seen and known by God and others is the answer to our soul’s deepest desire. God’s mercy is what meets us in that weakness, allowing us to step into that vulnerable space and call others to come and join us for what we’re really made for.

As an artist, releasing heartfelt songs isn’t easy. It becomes paramount that how we measure & value our art comes from the Lord. We create, and make, because we’re made in the image of our Creator & Maker, for the sole purpose of bringing glimpses of heaven into earth, cultivating beauty for the sake of the world.

I’m comforted that God can handle all of our humanity. Its wonders, and also its pains. The call is to bring it all to Jesus, we don’t have to hold anything back from him, and astonishingly, he doesn’t want us to.