Sammy Lynne’s ‘Inhibitions’ is the honest monologue of anxiousness. The Manchester-based singer-songwriter’s whispered vocals may be gentle, but the emotion behind them is palpable.
Formerly a member of The Caress, Lynne’s departure into solo-releasing began two years ago with the comedically and tragically titled EP, Aimless 21st Birthday Balloon.
His music falls broadly into the gentler end of baroque-pop, alongside Father John Misty and Weyes Blood’s sonic expansions.
Like them, Lynne’s production is significant to his appeal and ‘Inhibitions’ is near-immaculately recorded. Occasionally, Lynne’s delicate vocals become drowned by an ocean of synths and brass but the instrumental coalescing is so beautiful it hardly matters.
He uses cushiony vocals with a vulnerability that aptly matches the subject matter. Lynne’s touching on current topics – toxic masculinity and social anxiety. Yet he’s never trite, remaining sincere and creative throughout.
He questions how some appear to possess an ‘alien confidence’ before exclaiming that he’s ‘had it up to here with these inhibitions.’ He’s joined often by a pulsating kickdrum, like it is the song’s overly-anxious heartbeat, crashing through his body with tidal consistency.
As he wrestles with his thoughts, lyrics become decreasingly audible when buried beneath the ornate instrumentation, as if he is forcefully bottling them.
But in releasing ‘Inhibitions’ he is doing the opposite in what is a bravely exposed declaration of emotion.