Credit: Jeff Mertz

"Dusty guitar pop [...] recalls late-'70s powerpop acts like Nick Lowe and Marshall Crenshaw"
- Brooklyn Vegan

"A catchy tune with country sensibility [...] Sam Kogon’s vocals take the lead on this dreamy, stomp-worthy country rocker, which serves as the perfect preview for the forthcoming EP."
- Indie88

"Channeling the energy of The Beatles and The Beach Boys, the psychedelic pop act speaks about matters of the heart and navigating through society as a queer creative."
- Playground UK

"Psyche-tinged power pop"
- Scene Point Blank

"Not your typical syrupy love song"
- Americana UK

"A real original, his acid-laced brand of psych-pop comes with bold, extravagant claims attached."
- CLASH

"This is art in its greatest form, short of out-of-body, bone-chilling experiences. Cranking up the volume another few levels feeds into the visceral, interplanetary, cross-organism romance that will keep us up at night in the best possible way."
- Impose

"Brace yourselves for the baroque pop melodies and jangling guitars."
- The Deli NY

"An eccentric glimpse into the infinite sad."
- Paste

"Sharp and richly layered."
- Stereogum

"Kogon’s songs are homey and familiar, like a well-decorated apartment or some well broken in boots, but the thoughtful orchestration and quirky production offer the necessary ear candy that keeps the listener engaged."
- No Smoking Media
Today, NY singer-songwriter Sam Kogon shares the music video for his track "Barbed Wire," the first single off his forthcoming self-titled 4-track EP (due April 1).

Speaking on the video, Sam wrote: "It was always a dream of mine to shoot a music video in my family's pawn shop 'Sam's Swap Shop' in uptown Kingston, NY the place I was named after. My grandpa Lonnie gave me my first guitar from the store so naturally I wanted the story to focus around a guitar, in this case it's a 1963 Danelectro Convertible that came from Sam's (a dream guitar of mine). The guitar represents lost love, regret, but also a fresh start. The store closed soon after filming and I still can't watch the video without crying, but my grandpa always said 'Tell it like it is' and I think we did that. Bravo to Jeff Mertz for capturing the legend of Sam's and to my dad who blew me away with his acting."

Director Jeff Mertz continued: "Sam and I came up with the concept sort of organically. We knew pretty early on we wanted to shoot inside the Kogon family pawn shop, especially as it was slated to close for good within the year. As we were figuring out exactly what the story would be, I was struck by the persistence of Sam's name through generations of his family - every family member who came to run the shop took on the mantle of 'Sam'. It felt like there was this sort of mythos to the name, so there's all these easter eggs throughout the video - the portraits on the shop walls, the gravestone, the last shopkeeper (played by Debbie 'Sam' Kogon) are all 'Sams.' The shop itself was also charged with nostalgia, so the story kind of naturally evolved into being about an older Sam Kogon (played by Lou, Sam's dad) who's reflecting on missed opportunities and regret, but is ultimately given a second chance, which he proudly takes. I actually ended up moving to Kingston, NY, where the video was shot, a few years later, and it's a little surreal to witness the rabid gentrification that ultimately supplanted Sam's Swap Shop with a bland art gallery, but I'm grateful to have captured a small slice of local history while it was around. The video itself feels like a sort of second chance for the shop and the myth of 'Sam Kogon,' wherever in time we may find them."

Kogon wrote and made demo recordings of these 4 news songs at home on to his 4-track tape recorder. The songs were then arranged with his band feat. Grennan Milliken on drums, James Preston on Bass, Graeme Gengras on keys, and Kogon on vocals and guitar. The EP was recorded and produced by John Agnello (Dinosaur Jr., Kurt Vile) at Stewart Lerman’s Hobo Sound Studios in Weehawken, NJ. His partnership with Agnello came about in a somewhat roundabout way. After coming off three self-booked US/Canadian tours, Kogon was cast as a featured extra in Martin Scorsese’s crime epic The Irishman as a backing musician for Jerry Vale, played in the film by Steven van Zandt. He hit it off with music supervisor Stewart Lerman and, after sending some demos along, received a recommendation for working with Agnello. The sessions were assisted by Jeremy Delaney and James Frazee. The songs were mastered by Steve Fallone (Arcade Fire, Angel Olsen, Big Theif).