(2018) You, Forever

You, Forever is the second album from Sam Evian, the solo alias of Celestial Shore frontman Sam Owens. It features nearly the same core group of backing musicians from his debut, 2016's Premium, including bassist Brian Betancourt (Hospitality, Here We Go Magic), drummer Austin Vaughn (Happy Place, Here We Go Magic), and singer Hannah Cohen, as it doubles down on his distinctively mellow, '60s- and '70s-vintage sound. This time around, after demoing the songs with a four-track tape machine, he borrowed an eight-track reel-to-reel recorder to capture the official takes with his band. Other touches included a ban on tuning pedals with an eye to re-creating a '60s recording environment. It all goes to reinforce a sound-defining warmth built by textures like slide guitar, Fender Rhodes, shaker, and ethereal octave vocals in addition to strummed acoustic guitar on the opening "IDGAF." That song's hazy glow extends across the whole album, where a consistent palette nestles in alongside Owens' feathery voice. "Next to You" adds trotting woodblock and shimmering strings for a still delicate but more cinematic feel, while "Apple" strips its arrangement down to arpeggiated acoustic guitar and light drums and bass under lyrics that serve to amplify the dreamy ambience ("I just need a place to rest my head/To close my eyes and leave/To close my eyes and see"). There are livelier moments on the album, such as the bouncy "Country" and edgier "Health Machine," but a soft focus and amber-tinted luster endure. In a seeming tribute to components of his sound, the whispery, barely smoldering "Katie's Rhodes" closes the album with a tapped cymbal and sustained extended chord on the Rhodes, as the last embers fade to black. ~ Marcy Donelson