ON THE RISE
For an artist who has put out one album per year since 2017, fans of Sam Welch will not be surprised by a new release for 2025. They may be surprised, however, by the struggles Welch overcame in releasing the eight songs on The Attic.
Subtitled “Songs of Faith and Healing,” the album reflects a difficult year, including an ear injury and a sick pet. Releasing The Attic required real healing. What helped to get the longstanding Unitarian through the pain? Plenty of faith.
The album’s opener, title track “The Attic,” lays out Welch’s point of view with this release—both musically and lyrically. The song begins sparsely, with upbeat drums underneath organ chords, reminiscent of a church service or sixties rock like Procol Harum. It soon kicks into high gear with multiple guitars and Welch’s signature layered vocal harmonies.
The message is one of listening, perseverance, and the cyclical nature of life:
Life is just another yard sale: it’s a long, long tale
A Bible with a broken body held together by a nail
When you’re living in the attic, you’ve gotta listen to the static
Life ain’t automatic, and you gotta be pragmatic
The album emerged from a difficult year, marked by an audiological injury in Welch’s home studio. A burst of feedback left him with tinnitus, making it painful to write and record music, an ordeal that tested his resolve and shaped the album’s core themes of healing and resilience.
Inspiration also came from a more joyful source: the complete transformation of his cat, who recovered from lifelong health problems after starting with a new vet. This experience was so profound that it inspired a track on the album, a song fittingly titled “Cat on the Mend.”
Welch’s main collaborator on The Attic was audio engineer and co-writer Dan Searl, who helped shape the album's sound. While Welch plans his tracks in his home studio using Logic, Searl introduced a polished and organic sound production, filling out the tracks with rich pianos, interesting guitars, and tight mixes.
Sam Welch may be the country’s most prominent Unitarian singer, evidenced by a discography that includes his 2005 album, Unitarian Hymns. His spiritual themes have other sources as well. For example, Welch cites the work of Robbie Robertson and The Band with their motifs of acknowledging a lost past while maintaining hope for the future.
Moving forward, Welch plans to continue exploring personal themes in his songwriting. He says, “I hope to continue to use my music as a channel, a way to channel the feelings that I have about whatever's going on in my life.”
Fans are encouraged to visit SamWelchBoston.com. There, listeners can also stream Welch’s entire 180-song catalog, including 15 albums over a 25-year recording history. They can also sign up for his newsletter, keep track of his performance schedule (including weekly performances at historic venues like Club Passim in Cambridge), and learn more about his creative process.
Listen to The Attic now, and follow Sam Welch at the links below:
Sam Welch’s Official Website
YouTube
Soundcloud
Spotify
Apple Music
Instagram
TikTok
Welcome to SOUND ADVICE, Interview’s weekly space for playlists put together by artists, collaborators, and people from all corners of our circle. Over the past few weeks, we’ve highlighted selections from Zack Fox, Danny L Harle, and Mckayla Twiggs. This latest edition spotlights British French songwriter and producer Lauren Auder, who released her second album, “Whole World as Vigil,” just last week. Created alongside Dviance and Alex Parish, the project explores the emotional layers of human relationships, from the struggles to the moments of beauty. To celebrate the release, we invited Auder to curate a playlist for us and share a few personal insights along the way.
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Where do you dance? In the bedroom.
London or France? Unfair advantage for France, being a whole country.
What song on this playlist is your guilty pleasure? I have no guilty pleasures!
What’s your favorite sound effect? Roblox “OOH” or Bathory’s horse neigh on their album Blood Fire Death.
Dream collab, dead or alive? Lou Reed, obviously.
Who do you trust most with the aux? My roommate, Cajm.
What do you pray about? More time, more rest.
Best arrondissement in Paris? 20th probably?
What song is currently on replay? “Close to the Edge” by Yes.
What album was your coming-of-age soundtrack? Mysterious Phonk: Chronicles of SpaceGhostPurrp.
Tell us a secret. I cheated my way through Latin class in secondary school.
Night or day? Day!
What is your studio session pet peeve? Weed smell :/
Which Skins character did you relate to the most? None, I’m 27!
What are you listening to as you complete this questionnaire? Space heater next to my bed, Italian lesson next door.
What does your notes app look like? Incriminating.
You just arrived at the function. What are you drinking? What are you smoking? Cheap lager or expensive red wine, a Syrah if it’s winter.
The world is ending. What are you wearing True religion jeans and a white button down, as per.
