Sam Da Silva, better known as Red Shakes, has released his new single ‘Angel’ today. The upcoming Bradford musician has recently opened for The Sherlocks, who you might know from their #4 album, People Like Me & You. Earlier, Red Shakes’ music was featured at the Valley Parade halftime games in the Bradford City Stadium — a home game with a crowd of 15,000 people! Besides this, Red Shakes did a debut session for Jericho Keys on BBC York, featuring his songs ‘Around The World’ and ‘Borrowed Time’, as well as an interview with ITV discussing the local music scene and its importance. Having performed in cities such as London, Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool and Sheffield, Red Shakes has played iconic venues like The Jacaranda, Record Junkee and The Ferret. On festivals, Da Silva even played alongside Noel Gallagher, Jake Bugg and Kate Nash, to name a few.
The new song ‘Angel’ is led by guitars with a heavy reverb, layered on top of a bassline and drums that guide you through the song. The instrumentals can be compared to music like The Backseat Lovers and other Indie bands like The Kooks, with a fun rhythm building up towards the end of the song. Sam Da Silva’s voice has a big reach, starting off calm but gaining power throughout the song. If you listen closely, you can hear a keyboard in the chorus, as well as falsetto vocals from a second voice that belongs to the talented Phoebe Sutherland.
‘Angel’ is a personal song about falling in love with someone who came into your life. Even though you and this person do mundane things together, like staying in bed or ordering takeaways, they seem like an angelic figure that “came from up above”. This person is so special that Red Shakes would “step on LEGO” just to stay in bed with them — and that says a lot, because who would voluntarily step on LEGO? Every moment with this person feels heavenly, just like what falling in love feels like.
This is one of those songs that easily gets stuck in your head, and rightfully so. The instrumentals compliment each other perfectly and Sam Da Silva’s smooth voice truly stands out.
Red Shakes’ new single ‘Angel’, written by Sam Da Silva, was recorded at the end of this year at Garfo Studios in Elland, and produced by Gus Turner.
Written by: Marloes Joosen
Edited by: María Boyero
