Newcastle Musician, Sam Thomas, has pretty much done it all - from playing in metal, punk and indie bands, to solo acoustic guitar driven music. However, he has now found his niche in the hip-hop world, and this new track ‘No More’, due for release on the 15th September, proves just that.

Thomas describes that “The verse takes you through a story of my trials and set backs whilst the chorus is me finally saying to myself that I won’t let these affect me anymore. I wanted the chorus to be powerful and almost anthemic to mark a proclamation of change and empowerment by the end of the track. The structure of the song isn’t your standard verse chorus repeat etc. it was made in a way that as the intensity and frustration builds up.”

Even without this explanation, the journey of this track is made clear from the music alone. Beginning with a sliding guitar in a minor key, a sombre tone is set, heightened by the emotion so effortlessly portrayed by Thomas’ poetic lyrics and vocals. As percussion and layers build, so does the passion in his voice, emphasised by the reverb effect placed on it. A clear shift in the song arrives when Thomas showcases his powerful singing voice, demonstrating a refusal to allow the struggles outlined in the verse stand in his way anymore with the “No More” refrain. The song ends with a gong – a genius way of highlighting the song’s message of closure.

This clever, articulate track has got us very excited about what else Sam Thomas will come up with. ‘No More’ is out on the 15th of September.

Leanna Thomson