Blanco White Returns With New Single ‘Samara’

Blanco White, the guise of guitarist, singer and songwriter Josh Edwards, a Brit whose heart belongs in southern Spain and the Andean mountains, today releases his new single ‘Samara’, the latest single to be taken from his long-awaited debut album On The Other Side - out on 5 June 2020 via Yucatan Records - following the release of previous singles ‘Desert Days’, ‘On The Other Side’ and ‘Papillon’.

‘Samara’ showcases Josh’s love of Spanish guitar and rhythms, fusing elements of Andalusian and Latin American sounds with ethereal vocals. Speaking about the track, Josh explains “’Samara’ is a track inspired by Somalian music from the 70s and 80s. A friend introduced me to some of the bands from that era, and I was really blown away by what I heard. Many of the recordings have only re-surfaced in the last few years. Whilst writing my forthcoming album, I was listening to those bands a lot (including Dur-Dur Band, Iftiin Band, 4 Mars). They definitely made me want to be more adventurous with rhythm. I ended up writing more songs for the album with the bass guitar as the gateway instrument instead of guitar or keys. In the final recording of ‘Samara’, the lead guitar was played by Cameron Potts from the band Superego, who tours with me. His playing style left a big mark on the track.”

Listen to ‘Samara’ HERE.

With every release Blanco White has gone up a gear, from the haunting acoustic sound of his first EP in 2016, to the meatier, more expansive recent singles, the first taste of his self-produced debut album On The Other Side out in June. Already Josh is selling out venues across the world he couldn’t have dreamed of when he began Blanco White in 2014. A trio of increasingly- accomplished EPs released between 2016 and now have seen him become a streaming sensation, a staple of thousands of Spotify playlists, now with fans all over the globe.

It was a trip to Latin America as a kid that kick-started his obsession with all things Spanish, music in particular. “When I was 10, my dad quit his job, my mum put hers on hold and they took me and my two younger sisters around Latin America,” recalls Josh, who was raised between west London and the Black Mountains in south Wales. “We missed school and went to Mexico, Costa Rica and Peru. It was a life-changing trip and I came home desperate to speak Spanish and Latin America remained this romantic, amazing place in my mind.”

At university, Josh threw himself into studying Spanish. He later traveled south to Andalucía and was lucky enough to study with flamenco guitarist Nono Garcia whilst in Cadiz. He later headed to Bolivia, where he immersed himself in Andean music, learning to play charango (a small, 10-stringed, bowl-shaped guitar), first in La Paz, then in Sucre where he found a teacher at a local music school.

Enter Blanco White’s bewitching world and you won’t want to leave. Sensual songs unfurl like spells, time seems to stand still. Close your eyes and you could be dreaming. Magic, you’d swear, was at work.

Following on from a mammoth 50 date US and European tour last Autumn, which saw him play a sold-out show at London’s EartH – Blanco White will be returning to the live stage this October playing two shows at London’s Union Chapel. More dates to be announced soon.

Live dates:

26th - London - Union Chapel 
 27th - London - Union Chapel

http://www.blancowhite.info/

http://www.yucatanrecords.com/