Today, Toronto-based singer-songwriter Sam Drysdale announces the release of his new EP Testarossa on January 26th via Slaight Music / Fontana North. His sophomore effort includes the up tempo and lighthearted single “Shitty Famous,” released today. Referencing Sam’s time living in L.A., the track pulls back the curtain on the glam and mirage that is Hollywood and was written two weeks prior to the pandemic.
The inspiration for Testarossa comes from the Italian word for “redhead” aptly named after the chic 12-cylinder, mid-engine sports car manufactured by Enzo Ferrari between 1984-1996. It represents the next step in the speedy evolution of a talent that is gearing up to be at the forefront of pop music.
The EP was produced by Down With Webster co-founder Andrew (Marty) Martino(Theo Tams, Myles Castello), with additional production by Los Angeles-based electro-pop wunderkind VERSKOTZI (Myles Castello), with co-writes by Alexandra Soumalias a.k.a. Ally Sou (Pusha T., Theo Tams, Kayla Diamond, Alex Frew), Martino and VERSKOTZI.
Romance is the ongoing theme throughout the six-track offering, led by the earworm-ish first single “Dream About a Girl,” a mid-tempo ballad where Drysdale uses his arresting tenor to weave a netherworld between reverie and reality,
“Most people think pop music is all fluff and cotton candy,” says Drysdale. “But making pop music is, in my opinion, the hardest kind of music to make. You’re trying to squeeze everything into a short catchy story and the parameters you’re working within are sometimes very difficult. My goal is to make pop songs that don’t compromise lyrical and artistic integrity and I think I’ve achieved that on Testarossa.”
“Tulips,” is a song written in L.A. with Canadian writer and produce Justin Gray (Mariah Carey, Avril Lavigne, John Legend), and the lyrics include a clever double entendre on the title that makes it a really memorable song: light-hearted, but weighty too.
“My EP is the documentation of an attempt at self-re-discovery. I started by asking myself simple questions; What makes your favourite songs your favourites? (The storytelling) What piece of clothing would you be the most upset to be told you couldn’t wear? (My black jeans) What is the most dominant theme that inspires you? (romance). From here I let myself imagine an entire visual, musical world. One where not a single element existed in compromise, and where every aspect of my personality could shine thru for at least a moment, “continues Drysdale.
Born in Kitchener-Waterloo, ON, and raised in Guelph, ON, Sam was influenced by his musical family who introduced him to a wide range of artists from Bruce Springsteen to Pink Floyd. He moved to Los Angeles at 17 to attend the Musicians Institute, and later moved to Nashville at the age of 21, where he collaborated with producer-songwriters Davor Jordanovski and Paul Brown on a six-track Indie EP entitled The Fight.
Two months into that release, one of the tracks, “Dear Jane”, was anonymously submitted to Slaight Music’s annual Its Your Shot online competition. Sam won the competition and was welcomed as the newest member of the Slaight Music family. Sam relocated to Toronto and continued to develop his artistry, releasing his second EP, Vicelove produced by Thomas “Tawgs” Salter (Lights, Walk Off the Earth, Scott Helman) in 2019. That collection included “Like a Man” and “Wasted.”
“With the help of some truly amazing people, I’ve written and selected these new songs with more care and certainty than any past professional endeavour. While they all stem from the same root, my hope is that they can each blossom to reflect a completely different aspect of not just myself, but of anyone who listens to them. I’m confident this is both my best, and most authentic record to date”.
Sleek, stylish, and sporting the sheen of sophistication, pop provocateur Sam Drysdale has put the pedal to the metal as he gears up to release his upcoming EP Testarossa.
