Sampha Returns After Six Years With New Single "Spirit 2.0"
Featuring musical contributions from Yussef Dayes, El Guincho and Owen Pallet.
After showing us what we’re missing on Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers track “Father Time,” Sampha has made his much-anticipated return with his first solo track in six years, titled “Spirit 2.0.” The cut, which comes long after the release of his debut album Process, marks the beginning of the English songwriter’s next chapter.
Sampha began previewing the song at his revered run of Satellite Business residency shows in New York and London. “I was in a place where I felt I needed to hear these words,” Sampha shared in a recent Instagram post announcing the song’s release.
A dreamy electronic beat draws listeners in immediately, as Sampha reassures them of their (and his own) existential anxieties with the recurring hook: “Waves will catch you, life will catch you, love will catch you, spirit gon’ catch you.” A harmonious combination of synths and snares works to give the track a more modernized African folk cadence. “It’s about the importance of connection to both myself and others, and the beauty and harsh realities of just existing. It’s about acknowledging those moments when you need help – that requires real strength,” he wrote.
The nearly five-minute track was not a solo effort; the London artist enlisted musical contributions from Yussef Dayes, El Guincho and Owen Pallet, as well as backing vocals from Yaeji and Lisa-Kaindé Diaz of Ibeyi.
“Spirit 2.0” is available to stream on Spotify and Apple Music. Check out the song’s visualizer above.
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