Stream Sammy Brue's Raucous New EP Down With Desperation

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Sammy Brue was only 14 years old when he signed with New West Records in 2016. The following year, the pre-eminent folkie of Generation Z released his debut album, the John Paul White-produced I Am Nice, a song cycle we dubbed “an exciting, promising snapshot of a blooming talent whose best work doesn’t feel very far off.”

Brue has been touring off and on since the album’s release, cooking up a a more raucous, throw-down sound on stage than the one exhibited on I Am Nice. Naturally, the young artist felt compelled to get the new vibe down on tape, and thus a new EP was born.

From the horse’s mouth:

“Down With Desperation was born from an idea me and some friends came up with about live recordings. I wanted to put a few more songs out that I had been playing at live shows because of the response we were getting. Trying to get an idea to pitch to the label that included only a handful of songs was going to be a hard sell. So we decided we would all play for free on the album and record the EP locally. Luckily for us, New West enjoyed the songs enough that they offered to get us a studio and producer to keep us on track. Then I got a phone call and was told Steve Fisk would be helping out! We all freaked out a little bit over that.

Just being able to go back up to the Northwest (Seattle) and record with my friends made the whole experience for me. When we shot the cover, all I could think of was my experience on the road with Rodriguez [back in 2017]. Thinking of his story and his music, I kept coming back to his album Cold Fact, with Rodriguez sitting cross-legged on the cover. It really just seemed right to me. I thought it would be nice to give him a bit of respect in that aspect.

All in all, I just wanted to make an album of songs that were fun and that I think people will enjoy. I’d also like to add a huge thanks to some of the best musicians I have played with — Tanner John Williams, KJ Ward, and Juliette Camille.”

The 5-song EP comes out officially August 10 on New West Records. Stream it in advance of its release below, and check out Brue’s upcoming tour dates.