Samantha Urbani, ex--front-woman for conceptual punk pop chart crashers Friends, is back!! Previous, online-only tracks, “1 2 3 4” and “U Know I Know” have provided tantalizing tasters of what to expect but, with new full single “Go Deeper”, Urbani now cements her position as unparalleled pop contrarian bar none. Watch her, Dazed premiered, self-directed video below.
On first listen it is a deliciously infectious homage to 80s Jam & Lewis Janet Jackson sprinkled with the gold dust of vintage 90s Max Martin productions – but scratch beneath its surface and you may hear nods to everyone from 90s boybands to melodramatic auteurs such as Jim Steinman and Vangelis.
Similarly, the pristine sheen of the track belies Urbani’s determinedly DIY production. Writing, recording and co-producing the track with a number of key collaborators, including co-producers Daniel Aged and Sam Mehran, in several different bedrooms and basements in LA and NYC, Urbani has somehow managed to make something that wouldn’t sound out of place on Jackson’s “Velvet Rope” – sleek and assured, poised and incisive.
And beneath the instantly hummable choruses and pop hooks is a deeper meditation on themes of power dynamics and communication. In Urbani’s own words, “Go Deeper” is about “how necessary visibility and accountability are – getting to the bottom of things, transformatively: the harder it is, the more worth it. The only way out is to go through”.
Go Deeper will be digitally available from Friday 30th June. Further information and physical and digital release details for Samantha’s debut EP are to follow. The EP will be released by ourselves in-conjunction with Samantha’s label URU.
