Swamp Eyes is the brainchild of American singer / songwriter Sam Kuban and Something’s In The Hall is his debut album, released on 09/12/2022 and containing eight original songs.
The concept behind the album is a personal one to Sam, as it is a “direct emotional response to navigating the intense fear surrounding an unforeseen diagnosis and it’s complications from a parental perspective” after his daughter was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when she was seventeen months old.
Mixing alternative rock, indie and folk, this is a very experimental album that straddles many genres, proving how diverse the artist is.
Using both acoustic guitars as well as electric gives the album a fuzzy, almost grungy vibe while also retaining sentiment and feeling.
It is really the vocals that make this album. Obviously, being a theme that is personal to himself, Sam sings with raw passion, his emotions portrayed in both his vocals and the lyrics. He has a certain grittiness about his vocals, which gives him a powerful voice, one that he can switch between harmonic melodies and emo screams effortlessly, but one that also leaves him open and vulnerable.
Layered back up vocals also give the songs depth and I think, even without any music, this album would still be great.
Speaking of music, musically, this album is solid with nothing to fault. How this guy manages to get such a big sound on his own I will never know but he does, and he does it brilliantly.
I had to listen to this album two or three times, the tracks poignant and thought-provoking. I don’t know how I would cope with such a diagnosis of one of my kids, and I don’t think any parent would until it happened to them, but this album can at least give us an insight.
Well done to Sam for making such a personal album and allowing us all to listen to it. I hope to hear more great things from him in the future!
TRACK LISTING:
1) Trash Palace
2) Wait For The Lights
3) Dig A Hole
4) The Farm Up North
5) Mess Maker
6) Scurry
7) Eat Us
8) Cheers
This review is purely the property of The Metal Asylum