In-demand indie producer Sam Evian, known for his work with Big Thief, Palehound, Blonde Redhead and Cass McCombs, announces his fourth studio album Plunge, his debut on his new imprint Flying Cloud Recordings/Thirty Tigers, set for release on 22 March 2024. The first single from the new album “Wild Days”, is out today, accompanied by a music video that captures the free-wheeling spirit of the Plunge sessions. including clips of Evian cold-plunging in the creeks of the Catskills, as well as behind the scenes footage from his newly updated Flying Cloud Studios.

“Wild Days” is a hypnotic power pop overture brimming with lush and loose harmonies, early 70s guitar texture and pulsing piano chords. The song is written from his mother’s perspective, in fact, the whole album finds Sam writing from the eyes of his creative musician parents, tracing their complicated love story and adding his own ruminations throughout.

“Wild Days'' sets the tone for Plunge – effortlessly capturing a sonic nostalgia reflective of the way the album was made. A close-knit group of musicians convening at Sam’s Flying Cloud Studios in Upstate New York; utilising vintage gear and tape decks lovingly refurbished, to embark on a recording session with a sense of freedom, fast-and-loosedness. 

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 fucked 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.

Sam Evian plays live in the UK next month with shows at Simple Things Festival in Bristol on 24 February and Oslo, London on 27 February. Full live dates are below and tickets are available HERE.
 

Plunge - Tracklist 

1. Wild Days 

2. Jacket 

3. Rollin’ In 

4. Why Does It Take So Long*

5. Freakz

6. Wind Blows

7. Another Way

8. Runaway

9. Stay 

UK / EU
24/02: Bristol, UK - Simple Things Festival
27/02: London, UK - Oslo Hackney
29/02: Paris, FR - Badaboum

US 2024 Tour
On Sale Jan 19 @ 10am Local Time 
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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