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Sam Scherdel

The indomitable indie rock powerhouse, Sam Scherdel, rose-tinted bitter-sweet euphoria in his latest single, R.E.T.R.O.

Posted on 9 October 2023

After a phenomenally successful year which has seen Sam Scherdel secure support slots for Two Door Cinema Club and receive critical acclaim from across the board, Sheffield’s indie rock spearhead has delivered another hit of exhilarant romanticism with his latest single, R.E.T.R.O. If the waves Scherdel makes with his ear for euphoric earworms get any bigger, we’ll all need to seek higher ground.

The retrospective take on gratitude is a stunning attestation to our proclivity towards tenderly holding the past while struggling to amass sentimentality for the present. The sepia hues of nostalgia will always bring rose-tinted light in our darkest hours, but as much as we want to re-manifest the past, as Scherdel did so sonically consummately with the shimmering new wave pop nuances atop his signature Springsteen-esque indie rock grooves, us mere mortals are confined to the present.

“R.E.T.R.O. was written in 2021 after the initial lockdowns. It’s a bittersweet pop record which contains the message to appreciate what you have whilst you have it, as the moment it’s gone is the moment it hurts.”

With producer Gavin Monaghan (Editors, Robert Plant, Paolo Nutini), the singer-songwriter who always knows exactly which melodically electrifying buttons to press to evoke deep emotion, demonstrated his versatility without watering down the authentic alchemy barely contained in his previous releases.

R.E.T.R.O. turned back the airwaves on October 6; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Party in the Pews is Returning to Christ Church in Macclesfield with an Unmissable Lineup – Low Ticket Warning

Posted on 22 April 2023

With five weeks remaining until Party in the Pews gives indie, pop, post-punk, psych, and rock fans to get pious about, the ticket supply for the hotly anticipated two-day festival in Christ Church in Macclesfield is close to running dry.

The inexplicably impressive line-up curated by Jo Lowes, who is quickly becoming Manchester’s contemporary answer to Tony Wilson, comprises two well-known headliners who need absolutely no introduction; Badly Drawn Boy and The Futureheads. As stoked as I am to hear their iconic alt-indie hits, it is the supporting artists that are making me shake off my usual levels of festival-going apathy.

The psychedelic visionaries Heavy Salad always warm the soul with their endearingly cultish stage presence, Pavement-ESQUE cruising riffs and harmonised to the nines vocal arrangements. If Stephen Street was keen to produce their upcoming sophomore LP, you should be stoked to witness their mind-altering aural conjurations live.

Sam Scherdel on the line-up affirms just how on the pulse of current breakthrough artists Jo Lowes is. It is only a matter of time before his enigmatic indie rock anthemics that amplify his ruggedly affectionate everyman blues establishes him as one of the top indie rock artists in the country.

After a series of sell-out shows and acclaim from just about everyone who matters in the industry, Dirty Laces will tarnish Christ Church with their grimy vintage rock rancour that proves the extent of their reverence to the proto-punk past and seriousness about sealing guitar music’s place in the future. They’ve got psych grooves and razor-sharp dark hooks by the execrably exhilarating smorgasbord.

You might want to dress up warm for the Manchester-based supergroup, Sea Fever. There will be an atmospheric chill in the air when they spill their scintillating darkwave synthetics into the venue. Members of the five-piece banding together after working with Johnny Marr, Section 25 and New Order is infinitely less exciting than the coldly transcendent tones they subject their live audience to through their pulsating beats and hypnotic strings.

The final few full weekend tickets are available via Skiddle.

Check out the Party in the Pews event page on Facebook.

Amelia Vandergast

Sheffield’s answer to Springsteen, Sam Scherdel, was born to soar in his latest single, Balloon

Posted on 6 March 2023

After the delicately spacey live rendition of Boy Who Fell to Earth, Sheffield’s hottest act since Arctic Monkeys, Sam Scherdel, is back on anthemic form in his latest single, Balloon, recorded between Doncaster in the UK and Nashville in the states. The former recording location may not be synonymous with the same artistic glamour as the latter, but the Yorkshire roots of the highly acclaimed singer-songwriter are a substantial part of his roguishly relatable appeal.

Lyrically he never aims to uphold the image of infallibility; his whole-hearted die-hard romanticism has left scars across his discography; tracing them allows you to track what it means to be unapologetically human. Bold indie-rock anthems were barely beyond Sam Scherdel’s sonic repertoire before, but the Springsteen-ESQUE maverick spirit runs deep in the progressively enthralling veins of Balloon.

From ornate orchestral swells to ardent horn stabs to frenetic R.E.M.-reminiscent vocal pacing disrupting Scherdel’s signature gruff rock n roll harmonies, the tensile nature of the fluctuating panache of Balloon is bound to uplift even the most world-weary. Even though there’s a fair amount of ambiguity in the lyrics, the underlying melancholic concept gravitating around the intense desire to escape the fray of your own mind hammers home in a profoundly poignant way.

Pairing such visceral pain with instrumentals to rival the wholesome sanctuary in the latest Manic Street Preachers album created a playlist staple I will need little convincing to return to.

Balloon officially released on March 3rd. Hear it on Spotify and YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Sam Scherdel narrated the descent of the ‘BOY WHO FELL TO EARTH’ in his artful indie-folk piano ballad

Posted on 6 January 2023

2022 saw a cascade of hit singles from the superlatively talented indie singer-songwriter Sam Scherdel; to round off a perfect year, he eked new melancholy from Fairytale of New York with Harri Larkin. If there was any cultural justice in the UK, it would have made it to number one.

Now he’s starting 2023 with a bitter-sweet bang with the release of his live recorded single, BOY WHO FELL TO EARTH. It shares a few of the sombre tones of his Christmas release, but this emotionally layered piano ballad, complete with orchestral strings, stemmed from his own compassion-gifted mind.

As much as we adored the indie anthems, this folky turn that gives a more intimate view into a mindset that resonates with the contemporary atmosphere of collective ennui is just as seminal.

The live recording efficaciously captures every ounce of vulnerability pouring from the vocals that inhibit nothing to deliver a sincerely profound experience. Between the artfulness of Radiohead’s High and Dry and the hammering keys of Elton John’s Rocket Man rests this tender sonic narration of the boy who fell to earth. Prepare to be viscerally disarmed.

BOY WHO FELL TO EARTH will be available to stream and download on all platforms from January 6th via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Sam Scherdel versed from the ashes of a quick-to-burn romance in his indie anthem, Brave Mistake

Posted on 14 October 2022

There was no forgetting Sam Scherdel after he emerged as one of the hottest indie acts out of Sheffield since Arctic Monkeys with his single, Don’t Really Like You. His loved-up anthem has been followed by his vulnerably bold single, Brave Mistake.

The titularly dualistic track opens itself up to a world of ambiguity, but all of that resolves through the lyrics that allude to the termination of a relationship where love lingers despite the toxicity that breeds within the dynamic.

It’s enough to reduce the majority of post-breakup tracks to immature clichés through the soul-deep bitter-sweet reflection that is relayed to anthemic guitars and emotionally distilled keys that hammer home the melancholy as Scherdel reflects on the fleeting beauty of a quick-to-burn romance. The die-hard romantics out there are going to feel their hearts in their throats to this emotionally charged hit that will imprint the seemingly innocuous reprising probe of “how the devil you doing?” across your mind.

We couldn’t be more stoked to hear that a 2023 album is in the pipeline.

Brave Mistake was officially released on October 14th. Hear it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Whatever the question, the affable indie-rocker, Sam Scherdel, has ‘The Answer’

Posted on 17 June 2022

As stunning as The Manics’ Gold Against the Soul album, as cinematic as the Hollywood sign, the latest single from the Britpop-inspired UK singer-songwriter, Sam Scherdel, is a slice of celestial sonic bliss.

‘The Answer’ is a humbling admission of human nature, the inability to know everything, carry intellect on every subject and find absolutes at every turn. With weary yet romantically honeyed vocals atop the orchestrally decorated indie-rock score that grips with the same gravitas as Ben Folds, I think I felt every emotion on the human spectrum on the first listen (and the 5th; it just keeps giving. I might be addicted).

With exactly the same vein of magnetism as Billy Idol’s Baby Put Your Clothes Back On, hitting play on The Answer is a surefire way of giving Scherdel permanent space in your psyche. It’s beyond an earworm; it’s an ear unicorn.

The Answer will officially release on June 17th, check it out for yourselves via Spotify.

Check out Sam Scherdel on Facebook and Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Sam Scherdel knows that the love is flowing rather wonderfully on, ‘Don’t Really Like You’

Posted on 7 May 2022

Sensing that he has fallen head over heels for someone who makes his spirit shake like no other, Sam Scherdel can’t believe that these feelings are so strong as he has just learnt their name and the sparks are flying on the hot new track, ‘Don’t Really Like You’.

Sam Scherdel is a Doncaster/Sheffield, UK-based indie electro-pop/rock solo artist who makes that anthem-sounding music to take your mind away from any troubles you are facing.

”Having had a 5-year hiatus from releasing music he has been working with Aidan Thomson (Alvarez Kings/Steelworks Studios) on new material and returns with a much more mature sound and polished approach.” ~ Sam Scherdel

Singing with that fresh style that shows us his reinvigoration after a break to replenish his music energies, Sam Scherdel is on top form with a supercharged-with-romance single from an artist who is decisive on this ear-pleaser.

‘Don’t Really Like You‘ from Doncaster/Sheffield, UK-based indie electro-pop/rock solo artist Sam Scherdel is a ravishing release that shall take you into a steamy picture that is new, but packed with that cheeky love that is only going to blossom. With crisp vocals and a sizzling atmosphere that sends you into a state of excitement, this is a track that shall get you into a happy place of hope.

Love should be simple after all, and without any complications.

Listen up to this wonderful new effort on Spotify and see more on the IG page.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen