Samantics – Keep Repeating It
Samantics - Keep Repeating It
Release Date: Out Now
Sorry everybody, I’ve been lax in
the extreme. Not only have I been aware of the excellent Samantics for some
time but I’ve also been sat on a copy of his album for over two months now
without sharing it with you, my loyal followers. Well, the time is now and the
place is here so sit down, turn off the TV and listen up; the new album from
Exeter based soloist Samantics (Sam Walker to the DVLA) goes by the title ‘Keep
Repeating It’ and that is fine advice to follow.
From the get go, opening track ‘Dark
Day’ sets a low mood with the thunder clap and the words “I feel like shit
today”. Samantics’ style is spoken word poetry in the region of Kate Tempest or
Murray Lachlan Young in terms of an impassioned delivery and impressively
articulacy – wrap this around a theme of battling with depression and anxiety
and you’ve got something truly compelling. ‘Beautiful Day’ follows on like the
sunshine after a downpour as a single acoustic guitar note rings out and then a
reggae rhythm and organ chords brighten the mood immeasurably – one to strap on
to your headphones if you’re going for a Saturday morning walk into town.
‘Dear You’ has a more direct and
dark tone like a British Eminem but with more emotional intelligence while ‘Living
in the Doghouse’ has a Latin vibe going on with a massively catchy chorus melody
under the lyrics “I don’t know what I’m doing here, I don’t know what I’ve done
wrong, living in the goddamn doghouse and I don’t know what I’ve done”. On ‘The
Hardest Thing To Do’ Samantics explores issues around assembling flat pack
furniture….nah, not really, but the melancholy piano melody and frustrated
vocals would fit that subject matter for sure. One of the more explicit lyrical
performances on the album (and there are a few) is ‘Ode to the Traffic Warden’ which
vents a whole lot of anger against one of the most maligned professions in the
developed world.
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The secret to the Samantics sound
is the juxtaposition of clever and often funny lyrics with dark tones in the
melodies which makes you second guess how you should be feeling throughout the
experience. ‘Don’t Be a Dickhead’, for example, has a spooky, Scooby-Doo-Does-Hip-Hop
melody but the lyrics are essentially a guide to how a life should be lived
without being a douchebag full of humour and charm. On ‘Sitting by Myself Again’
Samantics returns to a theme of Mental Health sung through a choir of his own
voices followed by another pleasingly jarring reggae riff that puts me in mind
of the superb Jake Morley.
‘True Love’ drafts in the help of
peers Sound of the Sirens for a Ukulele strummed tale of true love full of
references to Subways and hugging on the toilet that you wouldn’t be surprised
to hear coming out of the brain of Gideon Conn. The melancholy piano of ‘The
Rock I Grew Up On’ is a life story piece of subdued yet epic proportions that
will surely make Ma Walker glow with pride. If you’re going to call a song ‘Happiness’
then opening with the line “Fuck you happiness, you stupid twat” is a good way
to grab the attention and setting it to a jaunty little organ melody just seals
the deal.
The album closes out with the
simply titled ‘Pop Song’ which has the melody of a children’s TV theme that’s
been remixed for Eurovision with lyrics that call out the banality of pop in
the 21st century. Samantics has a unique sound, a wonderfully skewed
take on the world, some raw anger and lyrics to die for so now that I’ve let
the cat out of the bag I would urge you to get your listening gear around this
one and find yourself a new favourite star in the making.
More information: https://www.facebook.com/samanticsuk/
Live Dates:
16th August – Bimble Inn @ Beautiful Days
Festival, Devon
22nd August – Stable Sessions, Exeter
23rd August – Watchet Festival
24th August – Exeter Street Arts Festival
26th August – Quayside Music Festival, Weymouth
7th September – Topsham Festival
14th September – The Bowling Green, Exeter
21st September – The Three Horseshoes, Bradford
On Avon
12th October – The King Arthur, Glastonbury
w/Funke & the Two Tone Baby
7th November – The Palladium Club, Bideford w/Gaz
Brookfield + B-Sydes
28th March – Mac-Stock Festival, Market Warsop