One of Ursinus College’s very own music majors will be releasing his first album, entitled Running Away, this upcoming April. Sam Love, now 22, has been making his own music from the time he was 15, and has been mastering instruments such as the piano and guitar since he was 7 years old. Primarily focusing on jazz piano and classical trumpet throughout middle school as well as at the beginning of his high school career, at age 15 he discovered his true passion of writing his own original music. During that time, Sam played with the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra. He has already recorded an EP and two albums, but during our interview, Love told me that these projects were not up to the standards of what he wanted to release. However, this album is different for Love.
Over the course of two years, Love has been crafting and perfecting this project. “For the past couple of years, the construction of this album is what I’ve been putting most of my time and energy towards, and I am just super excited to share what I have been working on with the world,” Love said. The album will be made up of nine songs which have been primarily inspired by rock, funk, and jazz music, all of which are some of Love’s favorite genres. The process of writing and recording came from a lot of late-night jam sessions playing piano and guitar, accumulating a variety of ideas, culminating in the framework for this album. The next step was recording fleshed-out demos in Philadelphia alongside a producer and personal friend of Love’s. Currently, he is in the process of having a drummer record tracks so that he can add a more polished sound to his songs and finalize them for release.
In terms of the content of Love’s music, he told me that a lot of it comes from personal life experience, and his songs allow him to express himself in both a creative and honest manner. “It’s an introspective look at important, and at times, character defining moments in my life,” Sam commented on some of the album’s inspiration. Themes from some of the songs include regret, nostalgia, and, of course, what’s an album without a little bit of heartbreak. Music is a form of therapy for Love. He uses it as an outlet to deal with any sort of emotion, as well as to take an honest look at himself and admit to his flaws. “It’s incredible to put this time and emotional energy into this project and be able to take a step back and look at what I’ve created from it,” said Love. Much of Sam’s music is inspired by rock, funk and jazz artists, but he said that he doesn’t really try to tailor his work towards any particular audience. “I’m not worried about trying to please any one audience in particular. Obviously, I would love it if people related to and enjoyed my music, however the intention is for me to be satisfied by my work,” Love stated. On the album Love does all of the vocals, all the keyboards, and some of the guitar and bass work.
The artists that have most inspired Love throughout his songwriting process include The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Elliot Smith, and Stevie Wonder. Love’s music has been described by his peers, music mentors and professors as being intricate, eclectic, full of musicality, and raw. In terms of what comes next, Love is currently doing an independent study and has already started working on an EP that he eventually plans to release sometime after his album, which will be coming out in mid-April.