Sam Evian^(US)

Sam Evian is het soloproject van de New Yorkse muzikant en producer Sam Owens, je misschien ook wel bekend door de band Celestial Shore. Zijn tweede plaat You, Forever, kwam op 1 juni uit via Saddle Creek en loopt over van warme elektrische gitaren, saxofoon en Owen’s kwetsbare teksten.

Summer's here and the time is ripe for a bright and breezy indie pop record with hidden depths to take up residence on our stereos and invade our ears and hearts. As luck would have it, Sam Evian provides us with just one such record with You, Forever.
– Under The Radar 

This time around, after demoing the songs with a four-track tape machine, he borrowed an eight-track reel-to-reel recorder to capture the official takes with his band. Other touches included a ban on tuning pedals with an eye to re-creating a '60s recording environment. It all goes to reinforce a sound-defining warmth built by textures like slide guitar, Fender Rhodes, shaker, and ethereal octave vocals in addition to strummed acoustic guitar on the opening "IDGAF." That song's hazy glow extends across the whole album, where a consistent palette nestles in alongside Owens' feathery voice. 
– All Music

You, Forever is an interesting addition to the catalogue. A more considered piece than Premium, Sam Owens’ bow as Sam Evian, the record’s low-slung, soporific delivery masks a meticulous streak a mile wide. There aren’t any rough edges caused by ill-fitting shapes here, and none of the willful guitar abandon of his old band, Celestial Shore. Even when he gets into it with himself, or the world behind that sunshine, he is a steady hand at the wheel.
– Post Trash

You, Forever is an excellent follow-up to 2016's Premium in every way. Evian's keen songwriting instincts have always been there, but his latest work feels like a more thoughtful and fully realized collection. And perhaps most importantly, his hooks are as subtly irresistible as ever, threading the needle between summer hit machine and contemplative odyssey and making it look easy.
– Thrdcoast