Almost exactly two years ago, the thoughtful and insular British singer Sampha returned with his album Lahai. Since then, Sampha has shown up on a lot of tracks from other artists, like Everything Is Recorded, John Glacier, and Daniel Caesar. Now, for the two-year anniversary of Lahai, Sampha has released a new two-part single that started out as an unfinished track from the Lahai sessions.
Sampha says that his new single "Cumulus / Memory" was the first song he wrote for Lahai, but he didn't finish it until now. He's been tinkering with the track for the past two years, and he co-wrote it with the xx's Romy, who adds backing vocals. It's not Sampha's first time working with Romy. Last year, the two of them released an André 3000 cover and then a collaborative single called "I'm On Your Team." Sampha also co-produced "Cumulus / Memory" with El Guincho, so this represents a real all-star team of a particular kind of music.
"Cumulus / Memory" is two songs in one, and it stretches over seven minutes. The backing tracks and even the genres switch up, but Sampha's bittersweet, wandering tone remains consistent throughout. Listen to the track below.
"Cumulus / Memory" is out now on Young.
