Finding light in the darkness

In the minds of many, we find ourselves in some seriously dark times. Despite all the good in the world, it often feels like everywhere you turn, you see despair, chaos, destruction, the list goes on. These sort of sentiments were felt deeply by many in 2016, when all-around musical entity Sam Evian (musician, songwriter, producer) released his debut album Premium, featuring "Dark Love," which paints a picture of finding love in the midst of the twisted darkness. At first listen, Sam Evian's sound in "Dark Love" feels very similar to a Tame Impala track, incorporating traditional rock instruments, with the addition of glistening, tremulous 80s-style synths, and absolutely killer falsetto vocals with simple lyrics that aren't necessarily the focus of the song. Evian strays slightly from Tame Impala's sound by inserting some funk into the equation with slick guitar licks and groovy bass lines popping up here and there.

The New York-based artist's day job working in a recording studio really shows in this song, as there are plenty of elements that are subtly manipulated, giving it a heavily produced sound. Interestingly, the lyrics of the song are finished by about the halfway mark, upon which "Dark Love" settles into a steadily cheerful, almost campy, rhythm, with ribbons of improvisational guitar and keyboard draped on top. Just when it feels as if the track is about to fade off into the distance, a beefy saxophone solo comes out of nowhere and steals the show with so much soul that it's virtually guaranteed that he was wearing sunglasses when it was recorded. Be on the lookout for Sam Evian's new album You, Forever, which hits the shelves on June 1!