Sam Evian puts his foot down and speeds off into the sunset on debut album Premium
New Yorker Sam Evian is a music fan’s wet dream. Not only does he look like an amalgam of all your indie heroes, but he has a voice that was made to be swooned over. Oh he also writes songs that are delicate and exude a retro charm. The word poignant doesn’t quite do it justice, but it’s one of the first words that springs to mind when listening to his latest single I Need a Man, and his debut album Premium, released 30th September.
Since its release in August everyone at thisyearinmusic has had to ration its playing. This is partly because it’s just over three minutes of woozy pop that is evocative not only of those classic albums from the 1960’s that felt like rays of sunlight shining out of your speakers, but it also hints to classic comedown albums too, but also because we weren’t listening to anything else. The music is slightly lethargic, but that’s cool because who wants to jump around in the sun anyway?
As I Need a Man hints at, Premium is a throwback album to a time when the only worry was how much petrol you had in your tank, are your sun glasses close to hand to stop the glare while driving through Big Sur and knowing that when you got in you had the new Beach Boys albums to play loud. The songs are full of confessional anecdotes that could easily be taken out of an episode of Girls, but they immediately relate to your life, even though you don’t live in New York. Of course there are contemporary motifs peppering the album, and at times it does feel like Connan Mocksin re-working Serge Gainsbourg. But in all fairness, what’s wrong with that?
Premium is released 30th September through Saddle Creek
https://www.facebook.com/thisyearinmusicxx
thisyearinmusic 