Sam Truth: Child
21-year-old artist Sam Truth is at the top of his game with the release of his debut album Child. While most of the songs on the 11-track project are seemingly airy and carefree, the album chronicles the artist’s struggles with homelessness, mental health, and love.
Truth began his musical career at the age of 18 as a means of documenting and releasing the emotions he felt as a result of his various struggles. Now, at 21 years old, Child represents his maturing both as an artist and a person. Though his sound is uncategorizable by genre, Truth’s music has a charming, cozy feel. The Virginia-born artist is also extremely versatile and proves his ability to rap and sing on tracks like “Haunt Me Baby,” “Sunny,” and “More Often.”
On the track “All My Dogs,” the second song of the album, Truth begins to delve into some of the larger themes of the project. Sonically, this song feels buoyant and fun. However, upon lyrical exploration, you begin to realize that this song is about remaining hopeful for the future in the midst of a challenging situation. For example, in the opening “All My Dogs,” Truth sings, “If I die tonight/ Ain’t no need to cry/ Maybe write a song about me/ I’ll be in heaven.” Additionally, on the track “Burnt Houses,” Truth grapples with the decision of whether or not to be vulnerable in a relationship where feelings may not be reciprocated. He sings, “I could use a friend/ But I guess you don’t need that though.” He continues this sentiment in the following verse where he says, “I could let you inside/ But you like to burn houses.”
Our favorite song of the album is “Mango,” on which Truth opens up about a relationship in which the girl seems to be using him to move on from an ex. This song is set apart by its raw expression of emotion which matches the somber combination of guitar, bass, and synth. The song evokes a sense of regret and heartbreak as the artist woefully sings, “Her hands around my neck/ Your touch is homicide/ And she knows/ She’s moving on to save her pride/ Does she know that he’s not enough?/ Does he know how bad you hurt?” While Truth is able to recognize that his partner’s love is not genuine, his earnest desire to maintain the relationship makes the track even more painful.
Child is characterized by authentic emotion and sincerity while it manages to remain almost blissful at the melodic level. Although Truth’s career is just beginning, we can’t wait to see what he releases next.