At times, a naked acoustic guitar and echoing voice and at others a little bit of sugary sweet nostalgia in a toned down folk rock reminiscent of Mumford & Sons. On the upbeat songs, Sami Simon hits his choruses just right and the music (slide guitar, easy drums, smooth guitar strum) evokes rural images and warm summer nights & on the quiet ones, he turns through layers of love, loss, and peace.
Hailing from Berlin, Germany this is the singer’s debut EP. On it he explores his understanding of life and memory. He has a delicate touch for his subject matter treating his songs like fragile works of art. “Bombs” and “Carry You With Me” see him digging deep in the psyche with a heavy emphasis on love and mortality over subdued instrumentation.
The latter two songs, “Wall of Glass” and “The Dreams We Had,” pick up a full band and show pop potential. An EP standout, “The Dreams We Had” is an embrace of happiness and a reminder that sometimes it’s nice not to dive into the complexity of our experience and just remember the good times.
This record shows a songwriter skimming the surface of what could be a deeper dive into heavy themes and more complex musical arrangements. However, there’s a surety to theme and production of the current album that promises a bright future.