All One Breath Reviews
Shindig Magazine
13th Floor Magazine Interview
Watch our interview with New Zeland magazine ‘The 13th Floor’ where we discussed the nuances of the album, and the philosophy behind Samana.
"Samana, a Welch dream-pop duo, have just released their album, All One Breath. Here they are to tell us about finding the balance between chaos and tranquility."
'All One Breath' Out Today!
Dear Friends,
The day has finally come! We are incredibly thrilled to announce the release of 'All One Breath' today. From here the record shall venture out into the world, to form connections, instils emotions and deepen our bonds.
You can get your hands on the limited dinked edition vinyl (with heavy weight, natural coloured vinyl, exclusive packaging and artwork, an additional secret track on flexi-disc and signed photographic insert) as well as the regular vinyl, cd and digital album which is available on all platforms.
We hope that all of the love and emotion that we gave to this record, finds its way to you as you immerse yourself in the music.
All One Breath
All One Breath
Out on Friday 11th March
Pre-order yours now
‘All One Breath' is a collection of songs that were written and recorded in the remote regions of Southern France over a three month period at the beginning of lockdown. Limited by the concise selection of instruments and analogue equipment that would fit into our car, we created a large body of raw, visceral work, from which emerged ‘All One Breath’.
The album journeys through a period of deep reflection, drawing upon concepts of distance, expansion, the velocity of time and the deep-felt appreciation of love. The songs encompass different fields of consciousness, through the exploration of improvisation, poetry, philosophical musings and long hikes off into the heart of the mountains
Live Review - London, Lafayette
Thank you to Square One Magazine for their live review of our performance at Lafayette in London
“As the arch’s soft white light and blue backlights illuminated the stage, a ghostly backing track grabbed the attention of all present. One by one, each member of Samana wandered onto the stage barefoot, creating the feeling of woodland fairies tiptoeing through a forest guided by the moonlight. They opened with the mystical and seraphic ballad ‘The Glory Of Love’, which was a spiritual experience reminiscent of the early work of London Grammar.
Lead singer Rebecca Rose’s angelic voice left the audience hypnotised by her presence as if she were a siren. The deep blue backlights and absence of spotlighting throughout the set created ethereal silhouettes which enhanced Rebecca’s delicate arm movements. The third song in their magical set was titled ‘The Beach’, which they explained was written in the French mountains in solitude with the fields and the hills. The song processes a dream-like quality that flawlessly reflects the environment it was written in. The deep and melodic backing vocals sounded like something that could be heard in a monastery. The closing song in their esoteric set was ‘Live For The Road’, which featured Rebecca moving with a tambourine gently across the stage as if she were dancing with the wind and delicately tapping the instrument against her forearm to the rhythm of the song. Their entire set was mesmerising and left the whole room in a state of astonishment.”
'All One Breath' Exclusive Dinked Edition
Ahhhhh so incredibly exciting! A special vinyl edition of our album ‘All One Breath’ is being released exclusively with Dinked this Friday (11th). There’s only a limited number of these collectable bad boys. So make sure you get your hands on a copy before they all disappear!
Dinked edition No. 161
+Exclusive design gatefold sleeve
+ Heavyweight natural coloured LP
+ Bonus Flexi disc with an exclusive unheard track
+ Signed A6 art print with a poem on the back
+ Lyric insert
+ limited numbered pressing of 400
→ Get yours at all listed independent record shops here ←
Folk Radio
A big thank you to Folk Radio for their attentive review of our album ‘All One Breath’
Click on the button to read the full review below
“Using traditional grounding, they travel on pathways far less rooted in the old ways. For a band born in England before moving to Wales, they seem more honed in on the culture of the American West. That dichotomy rests at the heart of their music. Wanders in worlds of the unfamiliar, they imbue their music a similar sense of rootlessness.
No one seems to know melancholy the way Samana does; it rests in every pore. The guitars that open “Melancholy Heat” are like old friends, yet as Harris and Mockett sing, it all becomes clear, “I’ve come to understand, the pain in all I’ve known/ The importance to be rooted down/ The art of letting go.” Like an old blues guitarist, Mockett imbues “The Glory of Love” with a downhome slide work. Yet, the piece takes off in directions that incorporate the blues while not feeling particularly bluesy, which seems to be Samana’s secret gift.
The languid opening to “Patience” has the feel of old Fleetwood Mac, circa “Albatross,” yet thanks to a guitar solo, ends up going down roads that Peter Green and Danny Kirwan never imagined. Yet, at no time does the song feel out of place or forced into directions that stray from the pathways Samana have established.
Harris can sound almost like the ghost of Nico at one point, but in the following line, her tone and texture is miles away, making for an interesting blend of the foreign and familiar.
At the heart of Samana and All One Breath opposite worlds seem to coalesce forming contradictions that are part of the very fabric of life. They travel emotional pathways through a constantly changing landscape, documenting moments that may never come again.”
Album Review
Thank you Outline Magazine for the review on our album ‘All One Breath’
“Both the album title and the duo's name encapsulate the essence of their sound, as well as highlighting the route of their spiritual path. 'All One Breath' traces a circular journey and embraces a panoramic range of style and influences, ranging from progressive folk to transcendental blues. It serves as an exploration of silence, solitude and time, as well as a recollection of personal experience and memories. By the time we reach 'Leaving', and 'Begin Again' (with its gently strummed guitar, and cello accompaniment), it is almost as though the listener has been taken on their own enlightening journey of discovery as well.”
Album Review
A big thank you to French magazine: Sound Of Violence for their beautifully intricate review of our album ‘All One Breath’ - which they gave 4/5 stars.
Release day ~ 11th March
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“The choirs of The Glory Of Love rise in the middle of a beat-up guitar crushed like on a New Orleans porch, in the form of an incandescent prayer to love. On All One Breath, the piano stroll extends towards songs of multiplied whales drowned by a cloud of smoke. The reasoning drum of The Spirit Moving beats the measure of a guitar à la Chris Isaac impregnated with a mystical voice seeming to address the beyond. The Beach still slows down everything with its acerbic and apathetic resonances. The violins appear at the end of the disc with a certain force impregnating the title Leaving, which tackles the themes of departure and absence, despite the spring softness of the strings. Some additions of cello come to elevate Begin Again as a sign of eternal renewal. Orchestrations handled to millimeters, even to microns, for a record that has decided to stop time and evaporate in a fog, somewhere between the Pyrenees and Brecon Beacons.”
Still Listening Interview
We did an interview with Still Listening Magazine about our approach to music, our inspirations, and artistic philosophy. Here is a snippet: Read the full interview below.
“Born on the road, Samana is a creative child of Rebecca Rose Harris and their partner Franklin Mockett. What sounds like a psych-folk dream, is a real-life account of their days filled with busking, writing in the mountains and hiding away from the chaos around them. Immersing in the dream-states, philosophy and poetry, they’ve set themselves upon a mission of exploring the mystery in the core of the subconscious. In the end, as their new album, ‘All One Breath’ suggest, it was never about finding the answers but the journey. Breath in, breath out. Samana left their laid for a while to let us look within before we’ll look out.”
Live Review
A review of our stripped back performance in February whilst on tour by Rockwell Unscene Magazine
☆
“Samana are a duo from the Welsh valleys who explore an array of musical styles whilst maintaining a tranquil essence at the core of their work. To limit them to music would be doing a disservice as its evident from the website that Rebecca and Franklin's artistic journey incorporates other avenues including intriguing photography. Tonight, Samana are unleashing tracks from their new album ‘All One Breath‘ beginning with an alt-folk number called ‘Glory Of Love.’ Slide guitar beautifully complements the alto vocals which remind me of Johnette Napolitano from Concrete Blonde with the rich lower register surging up to reach the higher notes. ‘Harvest‘ sees a move into a more up tempo number, as the finger picking guitar contrasts with Rebecca’s swooping voice which she uses more as an instrument than for the lyrics as the song crescendos to its finale. Samana effectively use delay and reverb with both instrumentation and vocals to produce a dreamy wave of sound that allows the listener to drift to alternative landscapes. The final song, ‘Live For The Road,’ captures the ambience of driving along an open deserted road through middle America with a sense of freedom. Having experienced Samana’s live performance and now their recorded work, I can truly appreciate why Guy Garvey is championing them!”
Live Review
Another snippet from a live review of our performance at The Castle and Falcom in Birmingham
☆
“They are one of the most enigmatic support acts I have seen. The depth and richness of sound created by the trio (the duo are joined by a keyboard player) is phenomenal for a small venue which is supported by the presence of the band on stage. Rebecca stands in the centre with the other musicians seated either side like an alternative take on the Holy Trinity. Samana use vocal reverb for maximum effect to produce a celestial essence with a hint of eeriness complimented by the simple lilting piano chords in the magnificent song All One Breath which was the highlight of the set. This was a song you could have listened to for much longer, a sign of a great piece of music. I have been exploring Samana’s back catalogue since the gig which shows what impact they have had and for those who arrived later, you missed a treat.”
Live Review
Here are photographs from our time on tour in February and a snippet of a live review of our stripped back performance at the Deaf Institute in Manchester
☆
“The core duo of Rebecca and Franklin are present and correct though and the essence of this project is very much apparent as their half-hour set, performed barefooted, feels like a spiritual journey full of drama and passion. Vocal harmonies from the guys augment the centrepiece which is Rebecca's showstopping voice that stops you in your tracks and draws you in. That intensity is replicated in the visuals as the three of them are absolutely lost in the moment of their art. It's a statement that encapsulates what Samana are about and stand for - a means of escape through music that shuts everything else out and focuses on the mind and soul.”
Uncut Magazine
Thank you to Uncut Magazine for the album review!
“Mistaking Samana for a product of the Deep South is easy when their second album sounds so raw, rustic and drowsy, but it was actually recorded hiding in a barn in the French countryside at lockdown's start.”
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‘All One Breath’ is out on the 11th March and we literally can’t wait to share it with you and to perform it on tour in March charged with intense emotion and electric energy
On Tour
And so it begins.. we’ve hit the road, joining the Smoke Fairies on tour around the UK, performing as a stripped back three piece across the UK until the 16th February before heading off on our UK album tour with our full band from the 21st - 26th March
Mojo Review
Wow!!! A huge thank you to Mojo Magazine for voting our album one of the best of 2022 and for giving ‘All One Breath’ a mighty four stars! Pre-order the album here and get tickets to our up coming tour here.
~ All One Breath is out on the 11th March ~
★
“Just when the album seems locked into an alluring cycle of rustic guitar creak and murmured vocals - think Nico, Jarboe, Mazzy Star - the spare piano-led title track and squalling finale to Patience, puncture the reverie, if not its anaesthetising reach”
-Mojo Magazine
