Peckham, London-born alchemist Sam Akpro announces his debut album, Evenfall, ahead of a March 28th release on ANTI-.
Evenfall’s ten tracks – which include the previously released singles ‘Chicago Town’ and BBC 6 Music A-List staple ‘Death By Entertainment”’– craft an immersive sonic world, rich in mood and atmosphere – a flowing tapestry of South London noir that’s serrated yet dream-like, psychedelic yet pounding with intent.
Launching today alongside news of the album is its lead single and title track ‘Evenfall’ a perfect example of the towering world-building and audible chemistry at the heart of Akpro’s magnum opus. Fusing shoegaze-tinged guitars, an insistent beat and Akpro’s searching vocal, it deserves to be a staple of night bus headphones for years to come. He describes it as existing “somewhere between a before and after space in time, where moments have passed & where events are yet to take place.”
‘Evenfall’ comes accompanied by a stunning introductory visual – directed by Pedro Takahashi, who worked with Akpro previously on the MVA-nominated video for ‘Death By Entertainment’ – that perfectly sets out the dusky, inner-city soundscapes of the wider album. It evokes the early hours loneliness of a metropolis that never sleeps, where streams of late-night traffic rush past static underpasses, scenes of stillness and tension colliding.
Speaking on the video, Takahashi offers: “‘Evenfall’ is a culmination of all the videos Sam and myself have collaborated on. Thematically, the video is about fading away in a city that is hard to live in. The idea is to express that if you pick out any individual in this city of millions, you’ll find that everyone has their own grand internalised life, full of hopes, fears, dreams and failures.”
Watch the video for ‘Evenfall’- directed by Pedro Takahashi
Listen to ‘Evenfall’- HERE
Featuring a multi-faceted backing band – Cameron Jacobs (guitar), Joshua Lee (guitar), Luke Chin-Joseph (bass), Kyle Creaton (drums) and Taylor Devenny (sampler, keys) – and co-produced by Akpro and frequent collaborator Shrink, Evenfall pulls all genres into its orbit. From the post-punk-laced immediacy of ‘Death By Entertainment’ to the woozy swagger and shout-along choruses of ‘Chicago Town’, from the dub-infused stomp of ‘City Sleeps’ to future pit-starter ‘Tunnel Vision’, this is music for a genre-less future where ambiance is king. As influenced by Sonic Youth as it is by J Dilla, Evenfall is an arresting document of the friendships and communities forged while growing up skating the streets of London.
“Long time no see friend. Come around. Listen to this record. I know what you’re thinking. I fully agree. This will take us through this wild time. This will still be the soundtrack on those sunny days. Still hearing it. Sat tight. Cold nights.” – James Massiah on Evenfall
Over a string of acclaimed EPs and singles in recent years that have drawn inspiration from rock to jazz to dub and reggae, Akpro has garnered praise and support at press from the likes of The Line of Best Fit, The Fader, DIY, The Times, So Young, NME, DMY, Clash, Notion, Wonderland and The Face, who named him one of their 7 Names You Need To This Summer in 2024. Radio support, meanwhile, has come from some of the biggest names on UK airwaves including BBC 6 Music’s Mary Anne Hobbs and BBC Radio 1’s Jack Saunders. Live, Akpro and his band have built a devoted following for a stage show that’s as incendiary as it is intimate, featuring at festivals including Green Man, Pitchfork Paris, Outbreak, Left of the Dial, Reeperbahn and more.
Praise For Sam Akpro:
“Sam Akpro’s grungy songs capture the frantic energy of being young and broke in London but could just as easily apply to any heavily populated and built-up area where every day is a grind just to survive.” – The FADER
“Sam Akpro songs are magnificent collages that fuse together elements from all kinds of styles and eras to create something truly individual.” – The Line of Best Fit
“An artist with intensity at his core” – NME
“The musician continues to push against sonic boundaries, melding together jagged rhythms with dizzying guitars to produce something entirely unique.” – DIY
Evenfall: [noun] The onset of evening; dusk.
Pre-Order Evenfall
- I Can’t See The Sun
- Death By Entertainment
- Chicago Town
- Evenfall
- Gone West
- Tunnel Vision
- Baka
- City Sleeps
- Cherry
- Cornering Lights
