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London-based multi-instrumentalist Sands shares new single
Following the success of his self-titled debut EP Sands which gained support from Clash Mag, Wonderland, Music Week and Pop Dust amongst others, ‘Let’s Run’ and ‘Echoes’ were mixed in Berlin at Kaiku Studio by Jonas Verwijnen (Moon Duo, Follakzoid) with additional mixing by Janne Lounatvuori.
Sands' obsession with records turned to playing guitar and drums at an early age. He later became involved in recording and engineering, following in the footsteps of some of his greatest influences: Neil Young, The Smiths, Bowie, Talk Talk, Stone Roses, Spiritualized, Mark Lanegan, Primal Scream, David Lynch, Echo and The Bunnymen, the Gun Club, QOTSA, Chris Isaak, Grant Lee Buffalo, George Harrison, The Rolling Stones and Italian composer Gianni Marchetti.
On the surface ‘Let’s Run’ paints a bubbly psych-pop picture, but the undertone is spread with a biting post-punk aftertaste. The track melds a psychedelic honky-tonk piano melody with guitar timbres layered in arresting instrumentals.
“‘Let's Run’ came right away one afternoon, strumming the first two chords. In my head, it was instantly a song playing in some sort of Noir movie, set in the West Coast. With the lyrics I tried to paint a picture of the colour and tone I was envisioning” he says.
‘Echoes’ is an original composition by ‘60s cult singer/songwriter Gene Clark, formerly of American rock legends, The Byrds. But London’s Sands has reimagined ‘Echoes’ with psych-pop leanings; driving guitars, crashing drums and euphoric vocal work - modernizing Clark’s signature tone.
On Sands’ rendition of Gene Clark’s vintage masterpiece, ‘Echoes’, he comments: “I love The Byrds. Then as I discovered Gene Clark's solo material and got into his catalogue I so fell in love with the songwriter, singer and musician, as well as the character. He's truly a gem, one of the greats to me. There's an incredible depth to him, truly touching and inspiring. ‘Echoes’ is a beautiful tune, and it clicked with me lyrically too.”
