Listen to: Sam Evian

PHOTO: JOSH GOLEMAN

Two years ago, Sam Cohen, known professionally as Sam Evian, packed up his life in New York and moved to the Catskills, where he found paradise outside of the city and was able to focus on writing, producing, and recording his own music. After the release of his second album You, Forever in 2018, Sam was gaining traction in the indie music scene and collaborating with bands like Big Thief and Cass McCombs as they travelled through upstate New York. The pandemic brought that all to a halt, the recording sessions with bands, the spontaneous creative jams that define the ethos of music. And so Sam Evian turned to himself, his own voice, using inspiration from his pastoral surroundings to begin again.

"'Easy to Love' was the first song I wrote after moving to upstate NY," he says. "It was springtime and it's very much about peacing out of Brooklyn with my partner Hannah and falling in love with a new space, new life, and lightening the load coming out of grinding in the city for ten years. Our first spring up here was euphoric. I've never witnessed a forest come to life after winter – the electric greens, bird calls, waters... It was the first time in my adult life that I'd felt such a visceral connection to the future."

"Easy to Love" is Sam’s debut single on new label Fat Possum. Check out the official music video, directed by Luca Venter and shot in the land around Sam's home, "an idyllic setting where you can plant love and literally watch it bloom." And keep your ears out for more music by Sam Evian. He just released a live performance video of the song, too – watch below – which means more is on the way. –Maya.