Will Samson has shared the new single “Beyond the Dust.” the track is lifted from his forthcoming release, Paralanguage, out December 6, via Wichita Recordings. Samson, plays a special show on December 11, at Rough Trade West in London, UK.

Will Samson on “Beyond The Dust:”

“’Beyond the Dust’ originates from an old song that I co-wrote with my good friend, Heimer, way back in 2014,” Samson explains. “There was something about the chords, particularly when played on piano, that really stuck with me. It’s essentially a song to remind myself to be grateful. ‘Pray for the darkest night that brings the morning’ simply acknowledges that the difficult experiences are the ones that often bring about the most growth.”

Paralanguage was inspired by Samson’s first – and only – experiments with psilocybin. For some time, following the death of his father in 2012, the British musician had suffered from mild PTSD, unable to process the grief provoked by the sudden nature of his passing, but it took him several years before he felt confident enough to explore the possibilities this popular compound was said to offer. Finally, he and his girlfriend retreated to the countryside for a day, and Paralanguage seeks to emulate that experience. Indeed, vocals for two tracks, ‘Ochre Alps’ and ‘Flowerbed’, which he’d been struggling to finish for a number of months, were written and recorded over two subsequent afternoons spent micro-dosing.

Recorded largely in his home studio in Brussels, Paralanguage finds Samson reunited with regular collaborator Beatrijs De Klerck, a violinist who also plays with A Winged Victory For The Sullen and Christina Vantzou. Ben Lester, who’s worked with S. Carey and Sufjan Stevens, added pedal steel to ‘Beyond The Dust’, and Jeremy Boettcher (who also performs with S. Carey) added double bass to ‘The Human Mosaic’, while Canadian songwriter Michael Feuerstack added backing vocals to ‘The Smallest Sliver’.

Otherwise, the album is all Samson’s own work, a testament to his desire to seek peace not just on record but in his life. A tribute to his inquisitive nature, Paralanguage is also, ultimately, a memorial to his father, whose life shaped Samson’s own, and whose tragic passing has now inadvertently yielded a source of magical consolation for us all. As the 30-year-old sings on ‘The Smallest Sliver’, “Sometimes my love feels too big for my body/ So I have to let it go.” In doing so, Will Samson has allowed us all to share it.

Will Samson
Paralanguage
Release Date: December 6th, 2019
Wichita Records
Album Pre-Order

Track List:
1. Calescent
2. Beyond The Dust
3. Flowerbed
4. Triplet
5. Lacuna
6. The Human Mosaic
7. Ochre Alps
8. The Smallest Silver

Will Samson
Tour

12/11 Rough Trade West, London UK
01/28 Atelier 210, Brussels BE
01/30 ACUD, Berlin DE
01/31 TRAFO, Jena DE
02/20 The Waiting Room, London UK
03/06 CAE, Portalegre PT
03/08 Teatro Bocage, Lisboa PT