The second single release from Sydney-based indie rocker Sam Marks this year, 'Vagabond' showcases the Sydney Conservatorium of Music alumni's ability to weave different influences to create a memorable listening experience.
After a decade or so in a number of other bands, last year Sam made the move to solo artist – so far he has proven his dexterity with a range of varied textures across previous releases: debut single 'Ellie Mae' with its jaunty, alt. country flavour easily sits alongside the dubby-psych feels of 2021 release 'Tend To Yourself'.Now Sam brings his luring vocals to 'Vagabond' which begins as a smooth, '70s-drenched rock ballad that quickly morphs into a modern indie burner before the second half of the tracks spirals into a vortex of swirling guitars, roaring percussion and layered vocal textures.
"'Vagabond' is a song I can't wait to share with the world," enthuses Sam. "It's inspired by someone I'd had a relationship with who had a difficult past, and they struggled at times to deal with it.
"She was travelling alone at the time I met her, we had an intense six-month relationship, and then she was gone. I've attempted to capture the essence of her situation at that point in time in her life."
Ahead of its release tomorrow (13 August), scenestr is stoked to premiere 'Vagabond' today. Enjoy.
"Through the textured and layered musical arrangement, I've strived to portray the 'hurricane of memories' the protagonist lives with," adds Sam.
"The chorus certainly leans towards this, but it's most prominently in the extended coda/ outro where we hear layer upon layer building into a hurricane of sounds and melodies intertwining.
"Cal Howell (producer) and I decided to break the standard song structure by removing the third chorus after the bridge, and basically extend the bridge into one big outro.
"It's different and weird to think half the song is an outro, but hey, it works!"
