Sam Eagle shares new single
Single release: Out now
Label: Cooking Vinyl
More info: Sam Eagle’s Facebook page
Today, 21-year old multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Sam Eagle has shared a new single from his much-anticipated forthcoming EP, ‘Something Out Of Nothing’. Featuring vocals from Sam’s close friend and fellow artist JJ, the new single ‘Think Twice’ follows on from his recent videos for ‘Like This’ and Funkenheim’, which saw Sam earn plaudits from the likes of BBC Radio 1, 6 Music, Radio X, CLASH, Mahogany, Berlin in Stereo, NPR and more.
Built around melancholic guitar lines with a stripped back rhythm section and skewed intermittent synth sections, ‘Think Twice’ merges Sam’s leftfield neo-soul phrasings with a subtle modern psych inflection. Whilst singles such as ‘Funkenheim’ have shown Sam’s ability to expand into new musical territory, ‘Think Twice’ exemplifies a more understated side to Sam’s music drawing from some of his earlier lo-fi material, whilst continuing to evolve dynamically.
Speaking about the single, Sam says, “The song is about the feelings of just before the start of a new relationship with someone, the feeling of safety and being completely in the moment with the other person.”
LISTEN TO ‘THINK TWICE’ HERE
The new EP will be his first release since signing to Cooking Vinyl and forms the first half of a two-EP vinyl release due out in early 2021.
Following on from his 2019 debut ‘Coping Mechanisms’, the last year has seen Sam Eagle earn plaudits from the likes of BBC Radio 1, 6 Music and Radio X, performing at festivals such as Latitude, SXSW and The Great Escape, as well as going out on a headline tour – including packed out dates at the Southbank Centre, Green Door Store and a sold-out 400 cap gig at Colchester Arts Centre.
The new EP ‘Something Out Of Nothing’ sees Sam home in on a bigger and more focused sound whilst also channelling his lyrical content inwards. Drawing from the songwriting of decades before him, but with the modern production of the current crop, Sam cites an eclectic range of artists as influences such as JPEGmafia, Andre3000 and Kendrick Lamar as well as David Byrne and Radiohead. However, Sam doesn’t endeavour to replicate these artists musically but credits their inspiration in terms of approach and their attitude to experimentation and composition. The result is a collection of songs that are powerfully imaginative, honest, and most importantly impossible to pigeonhole.
Speaking on the new EP, Sam says “The process for these songs has been about adapting and finding new ways to work and make music. I recorded the tracks at home. The entire mixing process was done remotely over the phone and internet. These challenges have made the songs what they are, just as challenges make us who we are as people.”
Getting to this point required a series of refinements, self-exploration, and acceptance. Sam describes a big part of the process of writing and recording the new EP as involving him “completely losing” his way. Whilst the last year saw him gaining traction off the back of his debut release, it also involved many challenges and changes: a new relationship, travelling across Spain in a van and the Covid-19 lockdown, all of which subsequently led to him craving an opportunity to reconnect with why he makes music and who he is making it for. “It’s been a pretty intense journey. I’m doing stuff now that is much more honest to who I am...” says Sam, “I try to keep my music as pure an expression of myself as I possibly can. These songs are about love. For other people, family, for music (or whatever you do) and nature - the different types of love and what they bring. As a result, it changes and moves with me.”
‘Something Out Of Nothing’ is a hugely exciting leap forward from Sam’s 2019 debut, not only in its musical development but more importantly in Sam’s own personal introspection and thematic and creative awareness. With his sights firmly realigned, more music planned with Cooking Vinyl in the next year and hopes to play live again soon, this is the best possible time to get onboard.
‘Something Out Of Nothing’ is due out 20th November 2020 via Cooking Vinyl
