Portland native Brett Leyde spent the first half of 2025 releasing a few singles and trying to get his name and art out there for whoever would be interested to listen. This culminated in early June with the release of his debut EP, Mercy, a lovely collection of five songs that are as soft and soothing as they are worshipful.

Mercy does a great job of blurring stylistic lines. It's a slower EP that uses a mixture of soundscapes, synth-based ethereal sounds, piano, and acoustic guitar, with minimal drumming that is often quiet enough to blend in with its surroundings when present. It's certainly not an album for those wanting quick and to-the-point songs made for radio; the opening track "Trees" is nearly six minutes long and really takes its time, but the beauty of the music and the focus on trusting God, when He moves you out of the place you felt comfortable, make a wonderful opener that sets the tone for the remainder. "Zion" brings in some light, electronic percussion and violins, while "Betrayed" makes an almost drastic change and incorporates some electric guitar. The song acts as a short, mid-EP interlude about the betrayal of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, and, though the song is still a bit on the lighter side musically, the guitar riffs feel oddly appropriate for the content matter.

Also appropriate is the follow-up song, "Giving In." While "Betrayed" also sings about personal betrayal, "Giving In" goes on to ask about how to forgive. Admittedly, the song can be a bit repetitive, but Leyde's humility in asking for help with forgiveness is admirable and inspiring. Finally, the closing track, "Mercy," is possibly the strongest song here. The mix of organic and electronic instrumentation is fantastic, Brett and Katie's vocals blend so well together, and the lyrics could make you melt into a puddle as you meditate on the depth of God's mercy and forgiveness. The bridge contains some of my favorite lyrics on the whole EP: "Hiding from the judgment throne / the balance of the debt I owe / the volume of the silence creeps in, it's deafening / even though I've scorned and mocked / You're standing at the door and You knock / love will never force its way in, but it doesn't leave / it cries mercy, mercy, mercy on me." Man, how good is that?

Again, those wanting upbeat, loud, fast worship tunes won't be finding what they're looking for here. Mercy is soft, gentle, and poignant, with a lot to offer for folks who want worship music that sounds more like Sufjan Stevens, The Glorious Unseen, or maybe even the slower offerings of Coldplay and Death Cab For Cutie. Brett Leyde has already proven himself to be a gifted songwriter and musician with this EP, and I legitimately can't wait to hear more from him.

- Review date: 9/8/25, written by Scott Fryberger of Jesusfreakhideout.com

Record Label: None
Album length: 5 tracks: 21 minutes, 25 seconds
Street Date: June 8, 2025
Buy It: Amazon Music

1. Trees (5:51)LYRICS
2. Zion (4:39)LYRICS
3. Betrayed (2:04)LYRICS
4. Giving In (3:21)LYRICS
5. Mercy (feat. Katie Leyde) (5:31)LYRICS

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