“Sitting In The Dark” is the latest single from singer, songwriter, and producer Steven Bamidele, and the opening track from his newly announced debut album ‘Summing Up’ (out 15th September). Starting life as a 4-bar loop existing only on his laptop, “Sitting In The Dark” is rich with syncopated beats, cross rhythms and intricate production. The release follows fellow album tracks “Kaleidoscope feat. Scarlett Fae” and “Dark Sense Of Humour (Farfisa)” which saw support from Clash Magazine, Tony Minvielle (Jazz FM), BBC Introducing, New Music Friday UK (Spotify) and Stereofox.

“My favourite thing about this tune is it feels almost uncomfortably honest. I’m exposing a lot of flaws about my character. It feels cathartic listening to it even still.” – Steven Bamidele

Providing the perfect introduction to a theme that runs throughout the ‘Summing Up’ LP, “Sitting In The Dark” explores the tunnel vision Steven has had for making music over the years and the subsequent guilt he’s felt as family and friends have fallen to the wayside in pursuit of a dream. Knowing this might not be the reality, but the way the creation process felt at the time, “Sitting In The Dark” follows Steven’s intuitive impulse to evoke a feeling through storytelling. Layered with tempos and a complex rhythm section the finished product is reminiscent of the fever dream left behind after spending too long sat at a computer; forgetting to eat, speak to people, or turn the lights on. “I remember my parents walking in my room a number of times and saying something to the effect of: What are you sitting in the dark for?” Steven explains, “This song is about that relentless obsession with making music and trying to ‘succeed’ in music.”

Having moved from Nigeria to Suffolk, UK as a child, Steven found solace and comfort in music as a creative output, especially in his most displaced, introverted, and lonely moments. As time went on, he joined various bands at school and played in the worship band at his church. After discovering James Blake and Modeselektor, he began to explore the creative potential of electronic music. At that point, music took over and Steven did whatever was necessary to make the music happen, taking on a variety of jobs and sometimes prioritising his creative instincts over the needs of those around him. “I chilled out in my early 20s,” he acknowledges, “but it was when my dad passed and then covid arrived a couple of months later that I really started to slow down and accept that other people and things demanded my attention and care.”

‘Summing Up’ is Steven Bamidele’s first full length offering and the result of years of an obsessive dedication to finding his creative voice. The album is a deeply personal project that has seen Steven using lyrical exploration as a form of self-therapy, often exploring themes of racial identity, family, and self-reflection. Tackling subjects that include his childhood, feelings of isolation, mental health struggles and his relationships with those close to him, he writes with an openness and integrity that allows the listener to share and understand his stories, while also seeing a reflection of their own.

With influences ranging from Marvin Gaye and Radiohead to Lianne La Havas and Solange, Steven crafts his own unique and intricate sound, combining synth textures, syncopated beats, and reverb-drenched falsetto to create psychedelic forward-thinking soul.