Breakout Americana artist Samantha Starr Stefanik has been busy prepping for Grammy season, dropping two brand new singles exactly a month apart – Sweet Tooth on the Summer Solstice, and Buck Up on July 21st. But, once put together, these singles tell a story that’s impossible to ignore…
Sweet Tooth rings out like a generation-defining Lana Del Rey or Billie Eilish ballad; smooth operatic vocals capturing simmering late-night, bleary-eyed moods, synth strings swelling beneath an ethereal reverb-drenched piano which completely detaches listeners from reality.
The liminal ambience, the dissociation, the raw emotion all reflect Samantha Starr Stefanik’s intriguing lyrical concept – the artist removing herself from the life she knows to contemplate a man’s perspective on true love, vulnerability and his bittersweet obsession with a lady he’s building up the courage to propose to.
Buck Up, on the other hand, takes on a polar opposite mood. Rhythmic acoustic guitars swing against an infectious, bluesy beat as Samantha Starr Stefanik plants her feet on the ground for a song about getting up, moving on and stepping forward into a positive future. Bright-skied, sing-along vibes backlight a lyrical story of realising one’s inner strength while swimming through the thick of personal disaster; of giving up in fear and burn-out only for your faith to pull you back on track; of listening to the Lord’s message of acceptance, valour and hope.
Played separately, Sweet Tooth and Buck Up are each hits in their own right. But together, they reveal the dizzying passion of falling in love, being stranded and caving in on oneself after that love-blind feeling fizzles out and, finally, finding the courage and resilience to pack up the past and will yourself forward, letting Jesus take the wheel, or placing your future in the universe’s hands.
All this leaves us with one easy final verdict to award Sweet Tooth and Buck Up: Highly Recommended.
BELOW: Listen to Samantha Starr Stefanik and check out their music online. Please support Samantha Starr Stefanik by visiting their website and playing, downloading, and/or purchasing their music. And, as always, thank you for supporting real music.