"Yeah it was a proud moment! It felt good, honestly. It’s been so long since it was written and recorded and I’ve been aching to get it out into the world! The presenters seemed to like it and paid a compliment or two which was humbling"
Its always exciting when an artist is going to drop their first musical baby. Sam Varlow, hailing from Lincolnshire, is gearing up for just that. 'These Days' is the debut from Varlow and is the single to start the ball rolling as he begins his solo descent into the industry.
'These Days', dropping on the 17th of July, has already had it's first spin on BBC Introducing Lincolnshire which is just the start from this talented new musician.
I caught up with Sam ahead of the release:
Apparently he can fly? Who Knew?!
Just to get to know you a little bit to kick off, do you have any hidden talents or party tricks?
Haha! I can fly.
This is a brand new musical project for you, what inspired you to start a solo venture?
Because band names are hard to come up with? I guess most bands I had been in I’d always played the role of songwriter. My passion for songs and the idea of being able to go out and play music with a tonne of different musicians was the key thing. I think a band can be limiting in some things you want to do, it’s a lot harder in some ways. Plus this way I get to collaborate with whoever I want for my project! Another reason is that going out under my own name is less genre specific than going out under a band name, I take inspiration from so many genres so this gives me creative freedom.
“These Days”, you’re debut single, is about to drop on the 17th July, what has been the writing and recording process like for the track?
This song came together and evolved within a couple of weeks. I had the chords and vocals, then recorded it at home on my setup and mapped out a groove and some bass. I jammed it with my band. Bob Fridzema, a good friend of mine played keys, that took the song to the next level. I think that’s what I’m most excited about with it, I’ve not been involved with a keys player before now and Bob is awesome. Then once in the studio, Dan Weller (producer) refined the structure and made it pump. It was super fun!
The artwork for the single that you’ve teased is wonderful too, is there any story behind the choice and who designed it?
I’m glad you like it! I’m super proud of this one. So, there’s a band I love called Plini and their latest release had some mega artwork. I got in touch with the artist, Alex and he and I shared ideas in regards to “These Days” there was a couple of ideas that were floating around, all of his work is amazing so it was kinda hard to choose. But this artwork just seemed to fit, there’s so many hidden details and I think with the tune having such a positive message the artwork needed to fit that which to me, it does.
What can we expect from These Days?
I like to think it’s reasonably easy-listening, so just go with it! Expect groove, that’s for sure. Danny Gatward killed it on this one! The best place to listen to it is in your car and it’s a summer song too, hence the release date. People will take from it what they will and I just hope they enjoy it, really.
It was aired recently on BBC Introducing Lincolnshire, which is awesome! How did it feel to have its first full spin?
Yeah it was a proud moment! It felt good, honestly. It’s been so long since it was written and recorded and I’ve been aching to get it out into the world! The presenters seemed to like it and paid a compliment or two which was humbling.
Are you working on any more songs or upcoming releases at the moment?
There’s another release in the not too distant future but there’ll be more details soon on my social media platforms!
What musicians creatively inspire you?
Oh man, there’s way too many to list. I love this guitarist named Greg Koch. His playing is sickeningly good and yet somehow still manages to inspire me to pick up my guitar and not give up on the whole thing and sell it because I’ll never be that good! I love Allen Stone too, he’s got to be the most positive dude in the world. His voice is crazy good and I love his approach. Another band that inspires me and has done for the last 6-7 years now is Periphery, they’re an American Metal band. There's no boundaries to what they do and can do, and I genuinely love every release of theres. Artists and musicians that have something meaningful to say in conclusion. Being able to relate to a song is always the key thing right?
And finally, if you could form a supergroup with three other artists across the entire music industry from any eras, including yourself, who would you form with and what would you call the band?
This is a good question! Bon Scott from AC/DC on lead vocals, no doubt. It’d then have to be Glenn Hughes from Deep Purple on bass guitar, but man he’d be singing too?! Finally, Chad Smith from the Chilis on the drums- that’s a pretty unbeatable line up. I already admitted to being terrible with band names. We’d be called the Sam Varlow band of course!
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