L.A. Salami’s recent tracks ‘We’ll Solve It After’ and ‘My Old Friend’ have resulted in a fresh wave of attention for the Londoner’s poetic song writing talent. The two tracks have picked up radio play from Huw Stephens at Radio 1, Chris Hawkins at 6 Music and John Kennedy at Radio X, plus playlists at Spotify (Fresh Folk and Fresh Folk 2019) and Deezer (Brand New UK and New Folk). He also visited Soho Radio to perform a memorable Vinyl Session.
Now L.A. Salami shares the final single of his upcoming EP ‘Self Portrait In Sound’ (out February 4th) in the shape of the single ‘It Is What It Is’. The track is due its first play courtesy of Lauren Laverne’s While You Were Sleeping feature on 6 Music.
The ‘Self Portrait In Sound’ EP is the second chapter to explore the fictional character of Papalious Stokely after last year’s ‘L.A. Salami’s Walkabout’ EP. ‘Self Portrait In Sound’ is a more introspective follow-up. It simmers with angst – losing and lacking love, fading friendships, and trying to redirect those personal failings that you’re irresistibly drawn to.
While the themes have evolved in ‘Self Portrait In Sound’, so too has the music. It steps beyond the skeletal spoken word of the previous instalment, with one foot in the stripped-back poetry of the Greenwich Village sound and another in the bolder productions of the modern alt-folk scene. ‘It Is What It Is’ demonstrates that stylistic shift as its tumultuous experiences are heightened by a fierce rush of psyche-rock guitars.
