Today Ōtautahi/Christchurch artist Sam Bambery releases ‘Parasite’ the first single from his sophomore album ‘Rubricator’ releasing May 17th 2024 via Under Underground Records.
Sam Bambery is a songwriter and artist who explores his love of semi-psychedelia and sonic texture through a twisted folk-rock lens. Leaning heavily into alt-country collage with his debut album ‘Songs About Sailors’ (released March 2022), Bambery has spent a deal of time since refining his sound, pulling from the rich tapestries of songwriters Damien Jurado and Angel Olsen.
‘Rubricator’ is a newly minted set of songs produced with De Stevens (Marlin’s Dreaming, Asta Rangu) and recorded in houses, old photography studios and lounge rooms across Aotearoa/New Zealand.
Lead single ‘Parasite’ approaches warped psychedelic-pop with plenty of guitar experimentation. This track is a strong departure from the straight-ahead indie-balladry of his previous album. First situating itself in dark organ textures and bottled percussion motifs, Bambery's breathy lyrics highlight the symbolic skinning of the inner child and his own relationship with many past selves. The tune is a distillation of influence Bambery and producer De Stevens have explored both live and in the studio, with echoes of Damien Jurado and Beck surfacing occasionally.
Bambery shares "this song started as a three chord number that was pretty unfinished when I brought it to De. We jammed it briefly with my band, then made a bare-bones rhythm track that we ended up putting a lot of crazy over-dubs on. It's probably the most out-there tune I've ever done from a recording standpoint. The glassy percussion you hear is actually my drummer Sam playing an empty hot-sauce bottle.”
The song reaches its end in a grand wormlike twist through delay-soaked guitars and choppy drum fills. It makes for an easy repeat listen for lovers of psychedelia or improvised music. Bambery's newfound dreary poetic edge is a treat as well, stringing Parasite along musical metaphors both dissociative and self-reflective.
Parasite’s music video, directed by Ōtautahi performance artist and filmmaker Robyn Jordaan, puts forth an uncanny version of Bambery. The costuming inspired by Francis Bacon’s irreverent paintings of screaming popes in the 1950s, seems to make Bambery disassociate into the camera, making some sort of song-specific identity. There’s a deep visual dissonance between the energetic song and the untoward glances he makes at the viewer. Asking for indulgence, but always keeping something at bay.
Bambery’s sophomore album will be released by Under Underground Records, a micro-label recently started by fellow Ōtautahi songwriter Hannah Everingham. The label promises new music and rarities from the flat city throughout 2024.
‘Parasite’ is out now and available on all streaming platforms.