Samanawas realised in the heart of a mountainous forest, during a year-long journey Rebecca Rose and Franklin Mockett undertook across the natural wilderness and distant cities of Eastern Europe. Lending their instincts solely to the road, and to the embodiment of freedom, their first creations were written in the vast isolation of nature and performed on the streets of the towns and villages they passed through. As two multi-disciplinary artists, Samana weave together their distinct poetry, music, striking photography and fine-art into one unique project. Crafting every element of creation themselves, the process the pair adopt in the creation of their work is one of strong ritualistic devotion and is produced in their analogue recording studio ‘The Road Records’ and darkroom in the remote regions of Wales.
Their music creates a seraphic atmosphere, bordering on esotericism and is centred around an emotionally raw and magnetic delivery of shamanic and cinematic proportion, offering a passage to transcend into worlds unseen. Oscillating between melancholic ballads and spiritual experiences, the music leads one on a journey that evokes ancient beliefs, revolution, fallen civilisations and intense deliberations of love, loss and death. They possess a truly unique spirit born from a nomadic and solitary existence, placing great emphasis on the philosophy of dreams, the interior of the subconscious and the power of improvisation. Each song created by Samana is constructed with its own distinct weight and significance, offering a direct pathway into the essence of ourselves, removing ones veneer, with threads of poetical sincerity and genuine emotional honesty.
“Samana sound as entranced as the cast Werner Herzog hypnotised while directing Heart of Glass”
The Arts Desk
“A sonically and thematically beautiful piece of work that compliments their raw talent. An astonishing record that truly inspires awe.”
9/10
Line Of Best Fit
“What they have created is masterful”
KLOF Magazine
“Imagine Robbie Basho fronting latter-day Bad Seeds and you won’t be too far off the mark”
Backseat Mafia
“A gorgeous return, music of escape that re-envisions the open road as a pathway for possibility. Surging, beatific songwriting, there's an Autumnal charm to Samana's work, a kind of gilded appeal that resonates with profound folk charm.”
CLASH Magazine
“Oh god this is so beautiful! A meditative balm. It’s so tantalising and exquisite, utterly transfixing, expansive and jaw droppingly beautiful!”
Adam Walton, BBC Radio Wales
“Meditative deep reflections, swooning wanderlust, an anaesthetising reach - think Nico, Nick Cave, Mazzy Star.”
“For me, they create music almost entirely of themselves; the only artists working nearby I can think of is the pre-Mazzy star outfit, Opal and Samana seem to push beyond that into a different more organic mystery. Heart-stoppingly beautiful. It has that quality that is so uniquely Samana. It’s the sound of a hot July day with crickets humming, some hitherto unvisited medieval church in the distance; the smell of ozone and gunmetal clouds gathering in the distance, threatening to break the lazy heat.”
Backseat Mafia
“It is an unequivocally compelling reflection of humanity”
Atwood Magazine
“I can’t recommend anything more highly. This is the sound of art meeting love in a very real way. Samana are one of my favourite bands!!”
