Sam Evian

You, Forever was Sam Evian's first foray into a more soul-baring sensibility. Released in the summer of 2018, the album is a beautiful collection that glows with an intense, slow burn. It was hailed by Pitchfork as a collection of songs that are "gentle and sweet but avoid the most saccharine tendencies of soft rock." Last fall, Sam released a version of the You, Forever track "Next to You" with vocals by Blonde Redhead's Kazu Makino. It lit up playlists. Paste magazine said "The track is a beautiful little diamond of Sunday morning guitars and Marvin Gaye-style bass grooves."

Now, two new songs shine a light on the evolution of Sam Evian's music. "Cherry Tree" is a daydream of the first warm hints of spring, which came to Sam as he took in the sun under a cherry tree in New York's Central Park. It was also the first song that Sam Owens ever released as Sam Evian. It has remained a fan favorite and a staple of the rousing live set. "Tell me life's a passing cloud," he urges amid a charming backdrop of lilting guitars, gorgeous piano flourishes, and a swelling harmony-vocal chorus.

Accompanying "Cherry Tree" is the hazy lament of "Roses," a new, unreleased song from the You, Forever sessions which offers a lyrically complex but equally reflective outlook as its counterpart. "I'd like to travel freely and see the old roads that I've known…"