Single Review: Sandcastles by Sam + Sam
By Drummer Vince Leigh (Pseudo Echo, John Farnham, Tina Arena) of Australian Radio Promotion.
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When the global pandemic shook the globe—a situation which continues to affect us all—the live music scene was an expected and understandable casualty. Artists of all persuasions endeavoured to find inventive methods to reach audiences.
Australian duo Sam + Sam responded to the new conditions, bringing their music into lounge rooms worldwide. Their live broadcast eventually drew an audience of more than 5 million, with each new episode being viewed by between 20,000 and 50,000 people.
Sam + Sam (aka Sam Ludeman and Sam Russell) has now dropped the lead track, Sandcastles, from their debut album Evolve. The new record showcases a blend of pop-rock with contemporary country, resulting in a familiar and amiable hybrid yet with a registerable tone of difference. With over twenty years of expertise, the duo maintains a worldwide audience and achieved success with their single releases, reaching the top of their respective iTunes categories.
The new single and album have already achieved results, with the duo’s latest debuting as the #1 alternative album on iTunes and #2 overall. Sandcastles features a straight-ahead rock groove, guitar layers, piano and other assorted sonic textures, self-assured performances, and efficient hooks. It might sound formulaic, but that, of course, is part of the appeal. The chorus contains the expected melodic pay-off, augmented by befitting guitar lines, polished vocal harmonies and a lyric tag with visually attuned inferences.
Sharing the stage with the likes of Birds of Tokyo, Jon Stevens, The Veronicas, Vanessa Amorosi, Thirsty Merc, and Olivia Newton-John, and loads more, has no doubt emboldened Sam + Sam, fine-tuning their focus and allowed them the opportunity to win over new fans. This focus is no doubt due, in part, to the collective experience of the two musicians, with Ludeman having been a finalist on The Voice in 2012, appearing in the films City Homicide and Spirit of the Game, and performing in touring productions of Grease, Fame, and Xanadu. Sam Russell had previously made news in the music industry when he collaborated with Macklemore to promote Jam for iPhone, a tool he created that employs artificial intelligence to assist individuals in songwriting.
