Brisbane musician Samuel Geddes artistic moniker Sammm. deserves your immediate attention. Trust.
So far in 2020, he has delivered two cracker singles: the mega good 'Four Eyes' and last month's 'Faye' which keeps the dreamy, twee charm of 'Four Eyes' but adds more emotive depth.Tomorrow sees Sammm. release his new EP, the awesomely titled 'Fresh Sheet Feeling', which features 'Faye' and 'Four Eyes' and adds two more tracks: 'Fly' and the EP's title track. It's a mix of slacker rock, fuzzy guitars and jangly pop that belongs on your next playlist.
scenestr is amped to premiere 'Fresh Sheet Feeling' ahead of its commercial release tomorrow; enjoy.
Sammm. launches the 'Fresh Sheet Feeling' EP at The Brightside (Brisbane) 6 November; he also plays The Bearded Lady (Brisbane) with L.Flora 24 October.
'Four Eyes' is a cracker tune; you captured something special there. The jangly, adventurous guitars really draw you in. The industry response has been pretty epic as well… as a songwriter, connecting on that scale must give you a great source of inner joy?
[Sammm.] It has been pretty humbling, I certainly didn't expect such a great response.
The industry and peer support for 'Four Eyes' has been unreal. It makes me incredibly happy to feel supported on this journey and to express my emotions/ experiences.
New single 'Faye' is a change of pace with an uptempo, stop-start ending, but keeps that dreamy, twee charm of 'Four Eyes'; were they written at similar times, and do you see them as companion-type songs?
Both songs were written over 2018-2019 to complement each other. I have never spent such a large amount of time working on two songs simultaneously.
'Faye' definitely follows on from 'Four Eyes' in the sense of understanding, processing a push-pull of emotions. 'Four Eyes' is crucial to understanding the romance behind 'Faye'.
Ok, so you have your new EP 'Fresh Sheet Feeling' out (16 October); how does this collection of songs showcase the current incarnation of Sammm.? And how good are fresh sheets!
I believe the songs are more rational, mature and much more consistent with where I am currently.
Cleaning your bedsheets is the best; crawling into a freshly made bed with clean sheets is my #1 favourite thing.
Is it a progression of your 2018 EP 'Mandarin Season' or have you expanded, explored new sonic territories?
It does follow up 'Mandarin Season' for sure. 'Mandarin Season' was written to capture a personal, rock-bottom directly related to my substance abuse; it was in essence literal and lived. FSF is a story of recovery, personal awareness, and self-compassion.
I moved into a house in Greenslopes when I was writing these songs, spending most of my time in my bedroom with a digital zoom recorder, a Casio keyboard, and my guitar. I have countless demos of these tracks.
Being able to create them on my own really let me immerse myself in the creative experience. The selection of preloaded drum loops and access to a smorgasbord of digital effects helped shift my songwriting into a new direction.
Give us a quick breakdown of each song featured (background, how they came to be)?
I started writing 'Four Eyes' while noodling on my guitar at a bus stop in Toowong. This song was written in two parts; the first highlighting a double life and growth. The second is a flipped mood, fighting relapse and further recovery.
'Faye' is a breakup song, turned love song. It's a song that changed direction countless times, in tune with my lived state.
'Fly' emerges as a point of change. It's self-realisation, a lot of anger sitting under this one – anger at myself for making repetitive mistakes. This was the first song I completed on the EP.
'Fly' connects back with fighting relapse, anxiety and a healthy amount of frustration used as fuel to turn things around. This came together while I was house sitting my mum's place and ended up blu-tacking paper all over the walls and wrote for three days straight. It was an interesting time.
And we end with 'Fresh Sheet Feeling', which sums up the collection of work perfectly for me. It's the track full of clarity and self-love. It's about becoming comfortable within your own skin, respecting the choices you have made in life, and learning how to practice self-care for the first time. This was a principal I have only recently began to grasp.
The fresh sheets are a metaphor in this sense – washing the slate clean. And a little jab at swiping on the dating apps too much.
Live shows; Queensland's creative scene is slowly reopening. Anything planned?
I am throwing a launch show for 'Fresh Sheet Feeling' at The Brightside on Friday, 6 November. I will be playing with Lucy Francesca Dron, Sleeping and Bridget Brandolini, which will be absolutely fantastic.
We are also performing with L.Flora at The Bearded Lady (24 October), which is going to be one hell of a time. I have been a big fan of theirs for a while now so I am super excited. And I've got more exciting events coming up yet to be announced.
As a songwriter, lyrical influences, topics you like to cover; is everything an open palette or do you prefer to focus on certain areas?
Things change very fluidly, I like to make songs about things I've experienced.
The earlier days playing with your former punk band, Screwjacks; how did those experiences shape the musician you've become?
I cut my teeth performing with Screwjacks. It introduced me to studio recording, performing, and the local Brisbane scene.
I miss that band a lot, I believe its influences linger around in the Sammm. music. I was the main songwriter, and this definitely comes through in the lyrics, like 'B&U (Bankrupt & Unemployed)'. It was a different medium to express different experiences that I don't explore in Sammm.
Favourite new TV show, podcast you've streamed past month or two?
I just finished watching the anime 'Parasyte'; very psychological – I basically finished it in three days. I've never been big into anime but I do rate some very highly, like Steins;Gate.
Your Insta feed had a cute-af video of you celebrating the release of 'Faye' with I presume your cat, Kitty; more of that please. Is Kitty a good cat?
Kitty is not my cat, but a very good, affectionate feline that lives with my partner. My partner's cat, however, Layla, is a very grumpy, old, and spiteful cat that I love regardless.
Summer is officially here in Brisbane… how do you plan to stay cool this summer?
Thanks for reminding me, gotta buy more fans for the rehearsal room!
Out of the wreckage of 2020, what's been a personal positive that gives you hope for the future?
For me, it has been a great lesson in slowing down and being comfortable with not acting as impulsively. The self-growth I've laid out for myself gives me good hopes for the future.
Thanks for your time; anything else you'd like to add?
I hope you're excited to tuck into 'Fresh Sheet Feeling'. There's some exciting visual media that will emerge with the EP and if you keep your eyes on that Bandcamp merch section I've got something special to announce soon.
