“As we go through life and get older, we all want to feel closer to who we are”. Sam Smith’s voice accompanied by the sound of a vintage projector make up the backdrop of the album trailer. As vibrant snaps of myriad moments from their life begin to pop up against a black screen, they utter the quoted phrase. The photo reel quickens in pace with each second and in the blink of an eye, reaches an abrupt stop. The artist emerges. Decked out in an embellished ensemble and a gold fan, we see a strikingly confident persona. But this image fades away to reveal a more vulnerable side. Sam Smith is unapologetically themself in this striking album trailer, confident and vulnerable alike.
Shots of them standing in fields and dancing through their emotions make up most of the trailer with snippets from the tracklist playing in the background. The calm of the open fields contrasts the dramatic scenes of the artist drenched in rain against thundering skies. For the artist, their new album Love Goes brings them a step closer to who they truly are.
Moving from soul to pop
In an interview with Capital FM, they mentioned that their new record is experimental. Firstly, they stated that their older works were heavily soul-based. From their hit “I’m Not The Only One’ to the oscar-winning piece “Writing’s on the wall”, the artist is known for soulful power ballads. To Smith, this transition from soul to pop was difficult but necessary. Secondly, a shame of sorts kept them from experimenting with the latter. However, with the new album, they wanted to create the kind of pop music that they had always wanted to. Smith then giggled and talked about wanting to emulate all of their favorite female pop artists that they listened to growing up.
Smith’s new album is thematically experimental as well. They mentioned that this album further explores the themes of gender and sexuality that a few of their other works do too.
Heartbreak, Catharsis, and Diamonds
While their last album discussed the post-heartbreak blues and the pain that comes with love, their new album looks at catharsis and moving on. Unfortunately, the release of their third album has faced a string of delays due to the pandemic. Currently, it is set to be released at the end of this month. The name of the album has undergone revision as well and was recently announced to be “Love Goes”. In an Instagram post featuring a letter from Smith, they announce that this album is comprised of songs written over the last two years. Above all, they urge the listener to treat each song as a different experience. In late September, Smith released the official track-list. The album features a total of eleven songs and each track is denoted by a flower that stands for a different narrative.
Their first single, Diamonds, from the new album, was released on the 18th of September. The video takes a stripped-back approach and is mostly set in a dark room with fluttering curtains letting light in. Smith twirls across the floor as they sing of heartbreak. At the very end, they are seen standing outside in a scene drenched with not just rain, but also drama. The cascading rain and the thundering skies combined with their immaculate vocals reach a crescendo and bring the video to an end. In short, the creative approach to the project is precisely what we have come to expect from them. Sam Smith is truly and unapologetically themself in this striking video and album trailer. The attention to artistry sets the tone for the masterpiece of an album that we are expecting it to be.
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Sam Smith’s interview with Capital FM- here.
All images provided by @samsmith.
