Feature: C. Samms Decodes ‘Bouquet’
Can you share any interesting or unique stories or perspectives in this album?
The words and themes grew out of then-recent personal experiences that ended up being very formative, or re-formative, to the shape of my life now. I went through a period of uncertainty of how to feel about myself. Do I love me? Do I love me not? When I started to look through it all in the process of writing this album, it very much felt like the classic scene of pulling petals from flowers. Then I realized each song, each experience was its own flower in this larger bouquet I've been given.
How did you approach the arrangement and composition of the music for 'Bouquet?'
I tend to start with an instrumental idea. Quite often what will become the chorus or hook of the song. I then fill it out with complimentary contrasting parts, (usually) employ the lyric writing method of singing non-sense to get the sounds and melody right, and then I approach the words. “Bouquet” was also my first official foray into taking on the mixing process myself—which I really enjoyed. I think what I ended up with was something that felt holistic to me.
Which track(s) from 'Bouquet' do you think best represents your artistic vision?
I always considered the title track to be sort of a mission statement for the entire album. Not only does it tell the larger story lyrically, but sonically it's the most blatant ode to my influences of early New Order and Depeche Mode.
Can you tell us more about you as an artist?
Music came to me later on in life. I didn't really start listening to music until I was 13. But when I did, I dove in deep. Bass guitar was the first instrument I taught myself—listening along to favourite songs, looking up tabs online—and eventually made my over to synthesizers and drum machines and never looked back. I think it a lot of ways, having taught myself and went on a very self-curated journey through music, I think my lack of knowledge allows me to stumble onto sounds and arrangements that I might not have otherwise if I actually knew what I was doing.
How do you continuously grow and evolve as an artist?
My addiction to music is an unstoppable source of inspiration and evolution. I just enjoy hearing and learning about new music—or old music that's new to me. If something really resonates, I dig deeper, really think about how it might have been made and the circumstances that surrounded that music. Then I think, “how does this piece fit into who I am and what I'm doing?”