sampctn is back, and this one’s like your favourite sad song stepping out into the sunshine ☀️

‘alone again’ is a follow-up, a rework, but it sort of doesn’t really feel like a second version. it’s more like the same diary entry, just on a brighter day. manchester’s sampctn builds on the emotional weight of ‘alone’ and lets it breathe a little more. it’s still personal, and that heirloom piano is still at the heart of it, but the production’s grown. you can hear the motown influence in the rhythm and lift, but it never overdoes it. think bedroom pop with a sharp suit on.

sampctn’s voice still hits in that frank ocean / sampha sweet spot. it’s a proper step forward, without losing any of what made the first version hit so hard.

so imaagine how happy we were when sampctn agreed to answer a few of our questions about the release.

Alone Again feels like a warmer, shinier version of something that was already emotional. What made you want to revisit Alone?

I find it difficult to just let things be when it comes to music because I’m always thinking about it. It’s a curse as much as it is a blessing to be able to bring my ideas to life because it’s hard to then draw the line and decide when a song is actually finished. Alone came together very quickly and unexpectedly which was fun, but I couldn’t shake off the idea of taking it further. I think that the original feels like a realisation of how I feel, while Alone Again feels more like an acceptance of the feeling.

That heirloom piano clearly means a lot – when did you first start playing it, and what does it bring out in your writing?

I actually can’t play piano which is quite funny. I always messed around on ours growing up (only if I was home alone) but the only person I can remember ever actually playing it in our house was my great Uncle John playing Happy Birthday. For Alone and Alone Again, I taught myself the chords then recorded them, then the bass and each layer of the counter melody separately on my phone and Frankensteined it all together on my laptop. I always want my music to be connected somewhat to my childhood and my family and now the sound of our piano will live on forever in these songs, which means a lot to me.

You called this sound “bedroom Motown” (which we love) – what does that mean to you?

It really links back to that last point. Motown was always playing when I was growing up, it reminds me of being little in the car or in the back room where our stereo was and so I love using it as a reference point. I love the vibraphone sound that I used in Alone again and some other songs that I’m working on, it reminds me of Baby Love by The Supremes or You Can’t Blame Me by Johnson, Hawkins, Tatum & Durr. “Bedroom Motown” is my funny way of summing it up. It’s all the heart and none of the funds.

Heart over funds, every time. You’ve mentioned Frank Ocean and Ariana Grande as influences – what’s something unexpected you’ve learned from each of them?

Frank is someone that I loved before I knew that he liked men and before I knew that I liked men. I think that was pretty unexpected because his music went from something I thought was cool when I was 12 to soundtracking so many of those realisations for me in my teenage years. He has always taught me to be authentic and to stay true to who I am.

Ariana is the idol of my life. She understands her role as a popstar but she would be making music regardless of whether she was The Popstar or not. She teaches me to be grateful that I’m able to release music and have even one person a day listen to it. I’m still grateful even on the days where there are none. It’s a dream come true to be considered an ‘artist’ at all.

Both Alone and Alone Again carry this ache of disconnection – is that something you’re still trying to make sense of through your music?

I guess it’s more about learning how to express the ache rather than making sense of it. I’m quite self reflective and I think I do a good job at working through how I feel, but it makes me really happy to be able to communicate those feelings through writing. I like that the realisation and acceptance of this feeling is out there now for me to look back at one day. I hope that I’ll be proud of myself for it!

What kind of moment do you hope Alone Again soundtracks in someone else’s life?

I hope it helps them to give in to the fear of being alone, because you can be alone without being lonely. I think it’s a great thing to know yourself so well that you would rather be alone than be with someone just to be with someone. Knowing this about myself makes me feel sad but also really strong. I hope that Alone Again helps someone else to make sense of these feelings.

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a pleasure to have such a thoughtful young artist on the blog.

and thank u for making this banger x