Sam Evian Releases New Single 'Stay' From Forthcoming Album 'Plunge'

Today, in-demand producer Sam Evian, known for his work with Big Thief, Palehound, Blonde Redhead and Cass McCombs, releases “Stay,” the third single from his forthcoming fourth studio album Plunge (March 22, Flying Cloud Recordings/ Thirty Tigers). 

“Stay” is a swinging ballad that showcases Evian's crooning atop a feather bed of rhythmic strumming, barroom guitar licks and lonesome pedal steel. It's a modern twist on the countrified power pop ballads of late 60s and 70s. Sonically upbeat, lyrically profound, Sam sings, “It's a rude world we're meant to wander / Do you feel you're slipping under every night ? / Getting through,  running us so ragged / just when you think you had it they twist the knife.”

Sam Evian says of the track, “'Stay' is just one of those tunes that came out all at once. I pulled it out of a 12 string acoustic I bought at a yard sale in Woodstock. It's like it had been sitting there for years waiting to play those chords. At the time I was really obsessed with the acoustic guitar and drum sounds on the kinks record Lola vs power man, so I was likely subconsciously aiming for that kind of thing."

Plunge is already gaining attention from Stereogum, Paste, Under The Radar, Brooklyn Vegan, FLOOD among others for its cathartic lyricism and warm production.

It was New Years Eve 2022, the night before Sam Evian started recording Plunge. He invited his friends to his property in the Catskills, where he'd just painstakingly relocated and revamped his Flying Clouds Studios into a new barn on the property. Adrianne Lenker brought a jug of maple syrup from Vermont, Sufjan Stevens set off fireworks in the meadow, and at midnight, the group of friends cold-plunged into a nearby creek as it started snowing.

Tracked during the early winter months of 2023 over a 10-day period, the Plunge sessions were nothing short of joyous. Joined by a group of his closest friends and collaborators (including Liam Kazar, Sean Mullins, El Kempner of Palehound and Adrianne Lenker of Big Thief), Evian set out with a wide-open approach.  “No-one knew the songs or what the plan was. We kept it loose and fun. This was the spirit of the sessions. No headphones, no playback, minimal overdubs, or bleed. Fast and loose.”

Despite that sense of freedom, Evian came to the sessions with lyrical clarity:  “I wrote the songs so that I could just play them and sing them on a guitar. I wanted them to be like really focused, classic songs.”  Lyrically, Plunge is heavier than previous records, diving into a wide range of themes and subject matter. “Relationships stalling, failing, coming back together,” says Evian.

The result is Evian's best album to date: a cathartic rock record that melds power pop, iridescent guitar, raucous psychedelia, and Evian's now sought-after grooves. The music is both fresh and familiar, sonically inspired by his penchant for early 70s production and creatively propelled by the free-spirited process depicted in the Beatles documentary Get Back, as well as his urge to let go of his own fastidious production instincts.

“I spend so much time trying to make perfect recordings for everyone else,” Evian remarks, “So it was a slight act of resistance to make something wild and kind of fed up for myself.”

Plunge is Evian's first release on his own imprint, Flying Cloud Recordings, the new imprint of his Catskills-based studio. In 2017 Sam Evian decamped to the Catskills alongside his partner Hannah Cohen and their dog, Jan, creating an immersive recording experience, Flying Cloud Studios, tucked away in the mountains of upstate New York. Evian (née Sam Owens) has hosted/produced/engineered a slew of artists in his home studio including Big Thief (Grammy-nominated for Certainty), Palehound, Kate Bollinger, Blonde Redhead, Helena Deland and more. Plunge is his fourth LP and first partnered with Thirty Tigers.

TOUR DATES

UK / EU
2/24: Bristol, UK - Simple Things Festival
2/26: Leeds, UK - Brudenell Social Club
2/27: London, UK - Oslo Hackney - SOLD OUT #
2/29: Paris, FR - Badaboum $
# w/ Marsy
$ w/ Mavi Lou

US 2024 Tour
On Sale Now
4/24: Montreal, QC - Le Ritz PDB
4/25: Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall
4/26: New York, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg
4/27: Washington, D.C. - The Atlantis
4/28: Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda's
4/30: Toronto, ON - TBD
5/2: Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall
5/3: Milwaukee, WI - Vivarium
5/4: Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry
5/5: Davenport, IA - Raccoon Motel
5/7: Denver, CO - Globe Hall
5/9: Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge
5/10: Boise, ID - Neurolux
5/11: Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom
5/13: Seattle, WA - Madame Lou's
5/15: San Francisco, CA - The Chapel
5/17: Los Angeles, CA - Lodge Room
5/18: Los Angeles, CA - Lodge Room
5/21: Austin, TX - Antone's
5/22: Denton, TX - Rubber Gloves
5/24: Nashville, TN - The Blue Room
5/25: Asheville, NC - Eulogy
5/26: Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle
* All US dates with Hannah Cohen as support

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