Sam Wickens - Watson (EP)
Northern Ireland Music Prize nominee Sam Wickens is releasing his new single Murky Waters on the same date as his Watson EP. The 5 track Watson EP is the second major release since his critically acclaimed debut All I've Seen album in 2019. Compared to Jeff Buckley, John Martyn, Death Cab For Cutie, Tom Waits, Sam is a soulful writer and performer with a restless creativity, conveying a personal blend of Electronic, Soul, Blues, Gospel, Folk and Indie. This young and gifted artist humbly plies his craft with a focused sincerity, and has created a style of his own: consistently delivering on his reputation as a bewitching live performer.
Watson opens with a short atmospheric track called Sunday Smiles part 1. There is optimism pouring out of every note, you almost see the sunlight coming through the window as a symbol of a brighter future. Wickens himself has spoken very openly about his mental health struggles and his way of overcoming them so this track feels like a new beginning for the artist personally too.
Watson part 2 is a dark track that lets Wickens'deep vocal and the low tones come through. Simple lyrics and enchanting melody create something that draws you into your own introspective world. Very fitting to the time we find ourselves in, with almost nowhere to go and more time on our hands than usual. Time to figure out our life, priorities, dreams. Despite the dark nature of the track there is a spark of light, hope, optimism that encourages the listener not to give up, to keep moving forward, giving us a sense of aiming towards a goal.
Murky Waters is the most recent single, out the same day as the EP itself. You can watch the video for the single below. It starts once again on a hugely atmospheric note which is Wickens' trademark. The track, led bz piano, strings and drums, has a mysterious feel of something unknown, quite literally, dipping into unknown waters. The vocal is lighter than in the previous songs, letting the higher notes shine.
Judging by the lyrics, This War of Mine continues with the overall theme of this release, the struggles a person faces and the battle with them.
"in time, I find some peace of mind, in time I lose this war of mine"
Strange.24 was the first single from the EP. It talks openly about overcoming mental health issues and how the life afterwards seems like a totally different than the one previously lived and takes some geting used to.Th song has almost dreamy vibe that takes you to another reality, the backing vocal adds another layer and if nothing else has given you goosebumps, this surely will.
Sam Wickens is going to play a real live gig at the Workman’s Club, Dublin on April 1st 2021 (No April Fools), you can get the tickets here
Artwork:Sam Wickens