The news for this Friday’s playlists is already counted by dozens as of Wednesday. Among them, a joint single by Romy from The xx and Sampha. The pair wrote the song during sessions for other artists before finally recording it together in London following the release of their 2023 albums, ‘LAHAI’ and ‘Mid Air’, alongside co-producer and songwriter Thomas Bartlett.
As they themselves explain, the song documents the fragmented stages of a relationship, “from the dreamlike and carefree moment of first falling in love to the more real and everyday love of a long-lasting relationship that requires dedication and effort.” Romy indicates: “It’s a love song, but lyrically it’s honest and sincere.” Kind of “we’ve had the magic and the dreaming, but now we’ve been through things together, so here we are and I’m trying hard.”
Sampha adds: “I love the idea of being part of a team, that you have to stand up for each other, and from there you can create an even deeper connection.”
In the past, both boast of having led parallel careers and even having nourished each other. Sampha supported The xx during their first North American tours and remixed their single ‘Basic Space’. Earlier this year, Romy appeared as a guest on Sampha’s show “Wave Therapy” for Apple Music 1. The two covered Andre 3000’s ‘Me&My (To Bury My Parents)’.
The song is accompanied by an intimate video by the London artists’ cooperative not/nowhere, which includes a live performance of the song. As for the single’s cover art, it shows a detail of a custom piece created by Wales Bonner to celebrate the single. Finally, ‘I’m On Your Team’ is the soundtrack for the closing credits of the new film directed by John Crowley, ‘We Live In Time’ (A24 Films), starring Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield.
