SAM MORTON, the musical duo comprised of singer, songwriter and acclaimed actor and director Samantha Morton and music producer and co-songwriter Richard Russell, reveal their first new music since the release of their acclaimed debut album Daffodils & Dirt earlier this year. Released today via XL Recordings, new single ‘Never Understand’ sees the pair putting their own unique twist on Ibrahim Hesnawi’s 1980’s cult classic; a drum-heavy, melancholic dub-inspired rendition that acts as an experimental tribute to the “The Libyan Father of Reggae”. The single is accompanied by a Samantha Morton-directed video that acts as a companion piece to her stunning video for Daffodils & Dirt single ‘Let’s Walk In Tbe Night’
LISTEN TO ‘NEVER UNDERSTAND’ HERE
WATCH THE ‘NEVER UNDERSTAND’ MUSIC VIDEO HERE
SAM MORTON’s debut album Daffodils & Dirt was released on 14th June via XL Recordings. Over twelve startling tracks, the pair build a deeply personal musical world that feels simultaneously intimate and delicate, powerful and tough. The part-autobiographical suite of songs see Russell’s spartan soundscapes providing a rich foundation for Morton’s gorgeous, ethereal vocal, aided by a cast of musical collaborators that include Alabaster DePlume, Laura Groves, Jack Peñate and additional vocalist Ali Campbell (on ‘Broxtowe Girl’). Daffodils & Dirt also features the previous singles ‘Let’s Walk In The Night’, ‘Cry Without End’ and ‘Hungerhill Road’, which appeared on SAM MORTON’s vinyl-only debut 7”.
Despite a lifelong love of, and involvement in, music, SAM MORTON is Samantha Morton’s first ever artist project. The collaboration came about after she appeared on Desert Island Discs in October 2020 and Russell happened to be listening. He was struck not only by her song choices (including a shared love of one song in particular: ‘I Remember’ by Molly Drake) but by the way the music weaved through her lived experiences. The pair connected and corresponded, swapping ideas, sketches and stream-of-consciousnesses. Finally, months later, they met in the studio and engaged in a period of spontaneous, intense and open-ended collaboration, one which proved to be a cathartic musical process for both parties. Daffodils & Dirt, completed during 2023, is the captivating result.
Praise for Daffodils & Dirt:
“A disturbing but often beautiful collage of past and present, fantasy and reality” – MOJO 4/5
“Heavenly harmonies evoking dreams of salvation” – The Times 4/5
“One of the best records of the trip-hop resurgence is by an unlikely pair: Oscar-nominated actor Samantha Morton and famed XL A&R-turned-owner Richard Russell. The duo’s new album, as Sam Morton, captures the uncanny prickliness innate to all the best trip-hop while folding in elements of dream-pop and no-wave, resulting in an unnerving, intoxicating listen” – The Observer 4/5
“An album that combines beauty and horror to create a firm resilience and achingly genuine heart” – The Line Of Best Fit 9/10
“A dozen songs laces with magical realism that splits the difference between the celestial tears of Suicide (“The Little White Cloud That Cried”) and the Christmassy comedown of Spiritualized (“Loved By God”) – Uncut Magazine 8/10
“Daffodils & Dirt is that rarest of gems – a fiercely original record which just happens to be wrapped in the grooviest record sleeve this year” – Hot Press 9/10
“Not an easy listen, the autobiographical nature of Samantha Morton’s lyrics means that it’s often brutal. But chemistry like this is rare to find” – Music OMH 9/10
“Daffodils & Dirt balances tense and unsettling moments with flickers of illuminating beauty for a distinctive and deeply personal listening experience” – KEXP
“A masterful trip-hop experiment” – Paper Magazine
“A forward-thinking, idiosyncratic work that has many layers to sink your teeth into” – Brooklyn Vegan
SAMANTHA MORTON INSTAGRAM
