Seat At The Table; Episode Two with Sam James Martin

With excitement mounting for Sam James Martin's latest solo release, Ghost Town, I've had the privilege of catching up with the brilliant artist himself. In this pre-release interview, we delve into the inspirations, creative process, and the captivating story behind Ghost Town. Get ready to embark on a musical journey as we uncover the essence of Sam's upcoming masterpiece, which will debut on August 30th.

Can you start by introducing yourself and your musical background?

Yeah absolutely! My name is Sam J Martin, I’m a singer songwriter, multi instrumentalist and producer from London. I’ve been releasing music under the alias of LAYKS for almost three years now. LAYKS is an alternative indie pop project that I started over lockdown and it just grew into my main creative focal point since then, I really can’t wait to put more music out this year and I’m actually currently getting ready to release my second EP this autumn.

Growing up, who were your musical inspirations and have they changed now you're older?

I was really captured by music at a super early age, my influences have always been a really eclectic amalgamation of everything my parents and siblings listened to. My dad was really into classic rock and reggae when I was little, so Clapton, Hendrix and Jimmy Page were my guitar heroes like so many other kids. I picked up a guitar when I was five and never looked back. I was obsessed with how things sounded and thinking back to it now in hindsight I loved the mechanics of music and how it can be manipulated and really made to feel however you want it to feel. Songwriters like Jeff Buckley and Neil Young came into my life around high school and I really dove into songwriting and started writing my own little songs as a kid. My influences have definitely changed and shifted as I've grown up. I really got into indie pop and more alternative sounds as I got into college to study music and it’s so funny because LAYKS just feels like the most natural accumulation of all the things I love. Like when I listen to the new stuff I can hear a little bit of everything in there from my whole life, so that’s pretty special.

Congratulations on the release of your solo single, Ghost Town! Can you share the story behind the inspiration for Ghost Town and how it came to be a single?

Thank you so much! honestly it takes me a lot to say this but I'm so proud of this song and I’m incredibly excited to share it with everyone. Most of that comes down to how quickly it came about I think. The song is brand new! like brand spanking new! haha. Most of the time I'll weir and record a song, then produce it and really fettle it down until I’m 100% happy with it. But this song came about so fast, I was sat in my room one night and I had the guitar chords just floating around in my hands then I started humming this melody and thought right then and there “I need to record this right now!” the lyrics were finished in like twenty minutes and I think a lot of it was subconscious, like I didn’t realise how much I had to say. So I opened my laptop, loaded up logic and just started laying things down, then before I knew it within like an hour, the song demo was done. Actually the final version still has most of the original demo guitar and bass in there. It felt super raw and visceral so I left it in. It reminds me of a real mid 2000’s emo road trip song haha. I’m so excited to share it!

What emotions or themes do you hope listeners will take away from Ghost Town?

To say what you need to say. I think that comes across in the songs sentiment and also just how I came to be. I hope it makes people feel good, if anyone can sing, dance or cry to it then that’s amazing. It’s really up for your own interpretation.

Can you describe the creative process behind the music for Ghost Town?

Yeah for sure, it’s such a fun story. Like I said, it all came about so fast one night, I just thought to myself “I want to write a really nostalgic emo rock tune” and had the initial chords and melody in my head straight away. so I plugged my amp modeller into my mac and just started cutting the guitar, bass and synth tracks. Then the vocals were recorded super fast I just started humming lyric ideas until it sounded like words (I do that a lot) and they kind of just wrote themselves. Once I was done with the demo I originally wanted to start a new track and just take elements from the demo but I just loved how raw it all sounded so I ended up building on top of it with more vocals and more guitar, it’s the most instinctual I've been while writing anything in my life.

Are there any specific lyrics in Ghost Town that hold a special meaning to you?

I think the pre chorus means a lot to me. It’s just “Who are you? Is it you I run to?” I guess that’s my way of saying “Really? I depend on you? Why?”

What's the significance of choosing August 30th as the release date for Ghost Town?

Well I really wanted to squeeze two singles into August and this was the only way I could do it within that deadline haha. So I guess it’s become a lucky number in that way!

Is there a part of song-writing you enjoy the most?

The eureka moment. That feeling when you know you’re on to something great, it feels so so good! It’s a very specific and euphoric feeling, it comes and goes a lot but when you catch it, it’s magical.

Can you give us a sneak peak at some future projects you have coming up? Is there anything in particular you're excited about?

Yeah for sure! I’m super excited about the new EP this year. I won’t say too much about it but it’s finished and I’m so so excited for it to be out. We’ll be touring that pretty much all the way through the rest of the year and next year. It feels good to have more songs in the setlist too lol.

Ghost Town is available to listen to on all streaming platforms now!