The acclaimed songwriter, Sam Airey is to release his long awaited debut album ‘In Darkened Rooms‘ on May 26th via Leeds-based record label Hide & Seek which he co-runs. A release of several singles and EPs over several years have won him musical admirers including Midlake, Damien Jurado, Sharon Van Etten, Daughter and Anais Mitchell, most of whom he has shared a stage with. He has also been championed by the likes of BBC’s Huw Stephens, Lauren Laverne, Steve Lamaq and others.
Sam’s music feels inextricably bound in the concept of “hiraeth”, a Welsh-language word for which there is no direct translation but what the University of Wales likened to “homesickness tinged with grief or sadness over the lost or departed.” That feeling is prevalent in the opening of In the Morning, a song from which the album takes its name. Like a sunrise, it builds from a melancholic dawn stillness to an immense powerful soundscape.
Sam shared the following about the song:
“In the Morning” is one of my favourite tracks from the record, and is something I wrote with the band in mind – in that regard, I had a pretty specific idea of how I wanted it to sound. I think it marries a number of different influences; the fingerpicked guitar part is reminiscent of older folk songs but then rhythmically and dynamically the song moves to another place – there’s definitely a widescreen indie-rock element to it. Lyrically, it’s probably a bit more abstract than other songs on the record, and there’s no clear narrative as such. I was reading a lot at the time – Romantic poetry, Dylan Thomas, but also books about science – in that sense the song quickly moves between ideas, but I guess it’s largely concerned with personal battles, the concept of rebirth and trying to finding our place in the universe. The line “In the triumphant light, you will realise you’re a child of the stars” refers to a physics article I read about stardust – the idea that practically every element on earth was formed at the heart of a star. I think this nicely summarises the mood of the song – trying to recognise where it is we’ve come from, but also maybe to understand our potential as humans. It’s the notion that hopefully everyone has a tiny bit of magic within them to be harnessed when they need it most.”
Pre-Order In Darkened Rooms here: https://samaireymusic.bandcamp.com
Sam Airey Dates
Sam launches In Darkened Rooms album on Wed 24th May at Brudenell Social Club, Leeds. Get tickets here: http://www.brudenellsocialclub.co.uk/whats-on/sam-airey1/
Also performing
May 29 The Eagle Inn, Salford, UK
May 31 The Lexington, London, UK
Jul 07 Jodrell Bank, Macclesfield, UK
Sep 15 Gorjys Secrets Music Festival, Conwy, UK