Sam Christian graduated from Berklee with the kind of swanky retro pop-rock swagger that practically guarantees his portrait a place in the songwriter hall of fame. The Kansas-born singer-songwriter is now moving to Nashville to study at Belmont and chase songwriting at closer range, carrying his Loverboy EP into the next phase of his highest creative stretch so far.
On My Phone sits at the centre of that arrival with modern malaise mutating against 70s pop-rock piano while Christian brings Broadway-showtune energy to the airwaves. The track has that grin-through-the-existential-dread quality that makes pop-rock feel alive instead of cosmetically nostalgic, giving listeners a slick little mirror for screen-age restlessness.
Rather than letting On My Phone remain an act of theatre, Christian cuts in one of the slickest, soaring guitar solos you are likely to hear all year from an up-and-coming artist. It is the kind of fret-and-tone work that helped give Prince his legend; all power, zero grandiosity, with a sense of Bo Burnham self-effacing relatability keeping the charisma from floating away into smugness.
There is real nerve in the way Christian lets polish meet personality without extinguishing the awkward human spark. Naturally, we fell in love with his charisma; don’t be surprised if he steals a spot on your playlists and your heartstrings.
On My Phone is now available on all major streaming platforms, including Spotify.
Review by Amelia Vandergast
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