There is a distinct irony in the idea that something so contemplative, reflective, and frequently ominous, can be so immediately resonant. Sam Tudor’s 2024 EP, Hidden Minute, is just that, as it aptly encapsulates the exploration of the inner-complexities that make up the human condition. Describing the EPs sound as “murky,” Tudor crafts rich soundscapes that are equal parts ethereal and foreboding, while he navigates self-reflection, loss, and growth vs. the passage of time. These delicately eerie elements come together to invite you to linger in its atmosphere, all while it subtly unsettles.
“I hate to share the future with the days I’ve had before”
Lobby, Hidden Minute (2024)
Recently honing skills with synth patches, instrumental arrangements, and soundscapes for video game and short film compositions, Tudor evidently channels these practices for an all-encompassing experience that is rooted in Folk music, but stretches beyond any limitations of classification. Each song that comprises Hidden Minute features intricate layers that are ever so delicately arranged to create an atmosphere that is poignant and enveloping. A guest cast of Canadian musicians only further enriches the instrumentation on the EP, which builds to stifling summits in moments, and cuts into refined lows in others. The instrumentation and production are consistently and strikingly polished throughout, making way for the vivid and resounding poetry to connect more with each listen.
Do You Feel Free Now?
Understandably, there is an unnerving feeling that the delicacy of the opening track embodies, as Tudor meditates upon the conflictions of pursuing art in today’s economy and through the passage of time.
“In many ways, I’m doing this for my 17 year old self, the version of me that was so lit up by music and art and saw it as a magic, sacred entity. I still feel this way, but wonder – am I doing this for the 17 year old version of me, and is that ok? Is it fine to dedicate your entire adult life to a 17 year old’s dream, even if you are a different person now? Or is that a disservice to your current self?“
While ambivalence echoes throughout the song, meticulously crafted string arrangements, distantly lingering clarinet, and an eerily ringing synth all serve to contribute to the strikingly potent atmosphere.
Lobby
The ensuing track, originally never intended to have lyrics, is a powerfully immersive experience, highlighted by reflective poetry brought along by Tudor’s hushed vocals, and Trent Freeman’s mesmerizing violin play. The song found its title as it was intended to be “an in-between track, a waiting place of a song,” though its identity changed in the creation process of the EP. The stunning textures found in “Lobby” become more and more impactful as each element harmoniously helps to craft a tenderly intimate ambiance.
Fear You
The penultimate track unveils itself in a gentle way initially, before breaking out with a fully kicking array of Folktronica textures. There is a less somber aura to this song in comparison to the previous two, as “Fear You” takes on a more assertive and convicting embodiment. As the song continuously develops, it is in the closing moments every element comes together in grand fashion, creating an almost coming-of-age juncture within the listen, all while maintaining the cooler tones that are consistent throughout the EP.
Fixture
Tudor further expands on the haunting atmosphere of the EP on the closing track, wrestling with finding a sense of direction in the present, while the tension of archived memories that continue to tie him to the past linger.
“Something new, something old
Fixture, Hidden Minute (2024)
Burning out the timer on a temporary soul
It’s running through, uncontrolled
Saying when I find my feet there won’t be somewhere left to go”
The most intimate of the collection, “Fixture” serves as an excellent conclusion to Hidden Minute, as its tender delivery and reflective tone allow the song’s sentiment of isolation and grief to endure beyond its final notes.
I’d like to thank Sam Tudor for the opportunity to connect and discuss the EP, as he welcomed questions I had about the complexities of Hidden Minute and his relationship with the project. Read below to hear what he had to say about his latest collection.
Whether it is the contemplative and challenging introspective lyrics, or the at times haunting, elegant, and atmospheric production, the EP experience is so layered and immersive. Can you speak to some of the inspiration behind the EP and the sound?
Thank you! I often feel like I have 100 different conversations going on in my head simultaneously. I know a lot of people feel this way, and I know one approach artists take is to try and isolate individual threads from this racket to figure out “what they mean” and maybe pull out a clear song. They streamline it all and turn their thoughts into a more coherent idea or expression. I’ve done that before and I guess thats a good kind of self examination. But I feel like, on this EP, I gave up on trying to do this and instead just wanted to create a sound that mirrors the feeling of the whole internal conflict, all voices at once. This is why there is a lot of murky soundscapes on this EP, just trying to express the feeling rather than support any one thread or theme. I want it to sound like how I feel, in the most literal sense. Another big thing is I have been working as a composer lately, creating music to pair with other peoples work – doing music for a video game and for short films etc. I feel like this experience really helped me get better at soundscapes, and appreciate instrumental arrangements in ways I haven’t done before. In the past I was mostly focused on lyrics, but over the past couple years I have done deep dives on sounds and how to sculpt sounds by re-amping things, making synth patches, etc.
The instrumentation is especially stifling at times with its delicacy and intimacy on the record, enhancing your storytelling beautifully. You teamed up with other Canadian musicians on these records, Yunjin Claire Lee (Synth/Piano), Graham Serl (Drums), Jasper Wrinch (Bass/Production/Vocals), Sam Davidson (Bass/Clarinet), Trent Freeman (Strings/String Arrangements).
Can you speak on the process of working with these musicians and how the very evident chemistry with them came to be?
I like the use of the word stifling here, stifling implies a sensation of much-ness but also being restricted and trapped. I think that’s my whole vibe, to be honest – haha. I always feel trapped, even when there is no obvious reason. But playing with other people helps a lot and I am really lucky to get to make music with people who are my friends but are also people who I consider some of the most interesting and open musicians around. Jasper Wrinch and Yunjin Claire are two of my best friends in the world, and we have been playing together long enough that I can get them to play on the songs without having to articulate what I want, because they usually know what I’m going for, and they know how their own individual style fits with mine. Graham, Sam Davidson and Trent are also good friends of mine, and they really care about the music they choose to be a part of, they always elevate my ideas. Getting my initial ideas and song structures out to my friends really helps me feel un-trapped when it comes to music. For me, making music always starts in a really solitary, insular way – self producing in my room. So bringing in good friends helps to counteract that and open things up again.
“Do You Feel Free Now?” is one of my favourite tracks of the year. The line, “Honouring a person that you were rehearsing for so long” is particularly powerful and has left a lasting impression on me. Can you give me a bit of background into this song, what it may mean to you, with it being so profound thematically?
Thank you! This song is partly about continuing to be an artist in this economy, in late capitalism, and through the passage of time. In many ways, I’m doing this for my 17 year old self, the version of me that was so lit up by music and art and saw it as a magic, sacred entity. I still feel this way, but wonder – am I doing this for the 17 year old version of me, and is that ok? Is it fine to dedicate your entire adult life to a 17 year old’s dream, even if you are a different person now? Or is that a disservice to your current self? This is sort of the type of thing that song is exploring.
I’m mostly talking to myself in this song – I am very stubborn and I reject a lot of things just on the basis of them being a dominant path. I also tend to make decisions based on how I THINK things should be, rather than how they actually are. It’s a kind of idealism that I am proud of, but also makes my life objectively more difficult while I’m actually living it. If I see a bunch of people doing something, even if they all seem really happy, I tell myself I cannot do that, I need to find a different way or path. So in this song I am kind of reflecting on this kind of life – is that unhealthy individualism, driven by hubris? Or should I be proud that I “hold out” to do things my way. In a lot of ways I think only time can answer that question.
“If I see a bunch of people doing something, even if they all seem really happy, I tell myself I cannot do that, I need to find a different way or path. So in this song I am kind of reflecting on this kind of life – is that unhealthy individualism, driven by hubris? Or should I be proud that I “hold out” to do things my way.“
Tell me about the cover art, it is so visually striking and draws the eye before you even start listening. What does it mean to you and how do you feel it represents the EP?
The EP art is by an artist named Plastiboo. Even though we have only ever spoken on the internet (they are based in Spain), I felt very aligned with them and was extremely drawn to their art and their aesthetic. They have a naturally unsettling and idiosyncratic style that I just immediately knew would fit with the music, and maybe elevate peoples experience of the music. I wish I could create an entire film or book with them. Our inspirations seems similar – we play the same video games, enjoy the same sci fi and fantasy works, etc. Their drawings are cozy and unsettling at the same time, which I feel is a mood I always want to explore because it seems tricky. What is both wholesome and scary at the same time? Anyway, they have been so kind to me, and created this piece of art after l sent them the EP. It was Plastiboo’s idea to have a window as the central motif of the image, have a character looking out at some fucked up reflection of themselves, or some exterior being – which made total sense when I thought about it a bit. I would highly recommend following ( Instagram / X ) them and their art, they have something special going on.
You’ve been actively touring since the release of Hidden Minute– How has the live experience of the EP been? What is your response to the feedback and reception of it from fans along the way?
We did something a bit unusual (for us) with this EP tour. Although it’s the most ‘instrumented’ music I’ve ever made, we toured it as a very stripped down trio (myself, Jasper Wrinch and Lilli Carr) and we played mostly house concerts and small intimate spaces like churches and old community halls. This was a big change from the usual venues, bars and clubs we played on past summers. To be honest, I don’t know why we did this but it feels like it was the best decision we could have made. It gave us an opportunity to explore the songs in a new way, we re-arranged and changed a lot of them for the live show. I learned a lot of new things about the songs from touring them this way. The shows this summer have been some of the best of my life, it feels we have found a new kind of energy that is different but still aligned with the EP. It was also really special to get to start the tour the day after the EP came out, I have never had it all be that immediate before.
What track stands out as a favourite to you now that the EP has been out a couple months and has had some time to settle in?
To be honest, right now my favourite song is Lobby, maybe because it’s the underdog – least streams, haha. Lobby started out as an instrumental track, it was never meant to have lyrics. It is called Lobby because I wanted an “in-between” track, a waiting place of a song, something that could almost be an intro or outro to the “actual songs”. But during the process of making this EP it kind of became something else. I think I like it because although it is a completed song with a normal song structure, it does have a very liminal energy. I also think Trent Freeman’s violin playing is beautiful on this song. I sang him the melody in a shitty voice note and he turned it into something haunting and elevated beyond what I suggested to him.
Listen to Hidden Minute:
Apple Music | Spotify | Bandcamp
Follow Sam Tudor:
Kyle’s Best of 2024 Playlist (Apple Music Only)
Soundwave Society Music Club 
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