Words by: Amy Moores
Portraits by: Em Marcovecchio
Sam Richardson has achieved the ultimate goal for any creative. His new EP, Losing Heart, evokes teenage emotions that had long been forgotten in my psyche.
Centered in a Cornish childhood, each of the four songs presents a variety of conflicting feelings, in being a young person feeling a strong sense of home whilst also wanting to get away.
Beautiful but harsh, the South sees summer barbeques turning into brutal winters that flood local businesses, whilst friends moving away becomes an isolating experience.
The title track Losing Heart encapsulates this experience, searching the relationships we build with our hometowns and how they shape our characters. Richardson touches on Cornwall’s tourist-dependent economy, with the lyrics “now my bills cost more than my wages and I’ve got nowhere to live” hitting hard.
This is an EP that will strike a chord for the generations of families pushed out of areas surrounded by second-homes, with Richardson commenting on his hometown St Agnes, “I love where I’ve grown up, the wide open skies and the rugged north coast of Cornwall have shaped who I am… but things are changing, and locals are worried”.
This isn’t exclusively for Cornwall and Devon, but an EP centered on community. With the rising cost of living, more people than ever will undoubtedly find a track to relate to. Fighting With A Wrecking Ball, the final track on the EP, brings an uplifting end to the collection, with a jazzy breakdown concluding that losing heart in itself could sometimes really just be alright.
Sound-wise, we’d recommend this for fans of Newton Faulkner, Paulo Nutini, Jamie T, and The Killers, whilst the lyricisms retain a melancholy parallel to that of Joni Mitchell. Richardson has already played Worthy Farm and we anticipate that it won’t be for the last time.
Losing Heart is out now and available to listen to on all major streaming platforms.
Instagram: @_samrichardson_