Sam and Louise Sullivan – Love & Devotion
Philadelphia’s brother-and-sister band Sam and Louise Sullivan announce their new album, Love & Devotion, out July 24th via Historic New Jersey, and release the lead single/video, “Down on Love.”
The siblings grew up in Oregon, singing various old American and British folk songs that they learned at a school on an old farm on the Tualatin River. Upon moving to Philadelphia, Louise started her own ceramics business and Sam taught high school English. At some point, instead of writing poetry, Sam started writing songs for Louise to sing. Home recordings led to more live shows, so they set out to start a pop band, to try their trad chops on songs in the tradition of the songwriters they loved, like the Roches and Richard and Linda Thompson. This DNA is apparent on today’s single.
Commenting on the track, Louise says, “Down on Love is one of our wonky attempts at pop music. We were trying to write a down-the-middle love song, but, of course, we ended up with a manic, chromatic, folk-rock thing. Sam was in a period of insisting that Kevin record two drum takes on top of a drum machine for every song. Emily Moales sings backups.” Sam adds “the riff is a misremembered beat from a rap song that was popular circa 2012.”
Their first EP, Sam and Louise, was made using a USB microphone during the pandemic in between loads of laundry, but upon moving to Philly they met Kevin Basko and Emily Moales, who taught Sam and Louise to use recording equipment and how to switch on the amplifiers. Love & Devotion was stitched together across many late night recording sessions. Kevin forced them to sing through their ramshackle tunes, live and raw, and build out tracks that adhere to their intentional if wobbly cores. They made Papier Mache (2022), their first full-length, on Kevin’s reel-to-reel machine in South Philly. Last year’s Sweet Enough gained traction despite all odds. Playing and recording with friends – Basko (Rubber Band Gun), of History New Jersey, along with Moales (Star Moles), and drummer Jem Seidel – what they’ve ended up with is a band that wants to make sell-out-the-arena pop songs, but can’t lose its trad chromosomes.
On Love & Devotion, Sam and Louise are trying – and maybe failing, but still trying, or trying in their own way – to go pop. No matter how hard they try, no matter how many digital elements they incorporate, they can’t manage to lose that sweet, old-time feeling.
Sam and Louise Sullivan Tour Dates
Sunday, June 28 – North Adams, MA @ Solid Sound Festival
Friday, Aug 7 – Lowell, MA @ Boarding House Park w/ Iron & Wine
#samandlouiseband