After a lifelong journey with guitar, starting at the age of seven with classical and transitioning to electric guitar at 13, Sam Uctas is proud to announce the release of his latest album, Redacted Lines. The album, a fusion of traditional songwriting and experimental soundscapes, was recorded on vintage analogue equipment, creating a deeply textured and organic listening experience.
Growing up, Sam Uctas immersed themselves in the music of legends such as Jimi Hendrix, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Parliament/Funkadelic, Jeff Beck, and Frank Zappa. “I became obsessed with the electric guitar,” he said. “I practised up to six hours a day, mimicking the styles of my early influences and learning everything I could from their music.”
This dedication to guitar is still at the heart of their songwriting process. “All of my songs are written on guitar first. The lyrics usually come second, or I adapt previously written poems into songs,” Sam Uctas shared.
Redacted Lines, was recorded using vintage tape machines—a 1985 TASCAM 34b and a 1982 TASCAM 244—bringing a raw, characterful sound to the album that is often lost in modern digital production. “I feel like my music style suits the imperfections of tape. Where digital can sometimes sound lifeless, tape brings warmth and texture,” he explained. “I try to avoid VST plugins as much as possible because I can get overwhelmed by too many options. I prefer to run individual tracks through outboard compressors and equalizers to shape the sound in a way that feels more hands-on and personal.”
The album balances more conventional songs, such as “Redacted Lines,” “Falling Out,” and “In Your Eyes,” with boundary-pushing experimental pieces like “Everything Is Becoming,” “Everyday Is an Eternity,” and “VRBA.” These latter tracks, described by Sam Uctas as “noise paintings,” reflect a more abstract, atmospheric approach to composition. “I imagine time as a canvas, sounds as colours, shaped by melody and rhythm, all viewed as one complete piece,” he said.
The lyrical content of, Redacted Lines, is heavily influenced by Beat Generation writers like Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and William S. Burroughs, as well as authors Charles Bukowski and Hubert Selby Jr. Sam Uctas approaches their songwriting with a poetic sensibility, ensuring that the lyrics can stand alone as poetry. “I try to write my song lyrics so they could also be read as a poem. I’m inspired by the way Jack Kerouac or Linton Kwesi Johnson would read their poetry alongside music,” he added.
With, Redacted Lines, Sam Uctas offers a deeply personal and boundary-defying body of work, blending their decades-long love of guitar with a fresh, experimental approach to both sound and lyricism.
TRACK BY TRACK:
Redacted Lines – Musically, a 70s post-punk vibe. I wanted to keep the arrangement simple, with just bass, drums, 2 guitar and vocal tracks. Drums were programmed on my 909 drum machine, and bass and guitar were played through my Fender Blues Jr amp. At the time of recording, I was reading a lot of Christopher Hitchens and Gore Vidal books, and so the lyrics became an attack on the fact that establishments never show people the real truth, and we constantly live in a state of misinformation.
Falling Out – again with this song, I wanted to keep the arrangement slightly sparse, with Bass, drums, 2 guitar tracks and vocals. With some overdubs on my MOOG synth. The lyrics are about losing your mind and the feeling of falling endlessly from day to day. At the time of writing the lyrics, I was watching the film ‘Wings of Hope’ by Werner Herzog, which tells the true story of a woman whose plane crashed over the Peruvian rainforest, of which she was the sole survivor. Her description of the plane collapsing mid-air and falling to the ground inspired the first few lines written for the track.
In Your Eyes – This track is about grieving the death of a loved one. Musically it was inspired by Lou Reed’s Berlin album and John Frusciante’s ‘Niandra Lades and Usually Just a T-Shirt’.
Everyday is an Eternity – This track is a poem recited over a guitar and drums backing track. The lyrics were written in January 2024, I would get into an ice bath first thing in the morning, and write the first thing that came into my head. The instant panic and blood rushing to the vital organs gives a strange clarity to your thoughts, which I wanted to capture.
Convulsions – This is a love song, about the compulsive and obsessive side of falling in love, and trying to let go. Musically it was inspired by bands like the Velvet Underground and Bauhaus – with the excessive use of noise and distortion against a melodic guitar track.
SKU DUB – Instrumental inspired by 70s psychedelic funk – mixed in a dub reggae (King Tubby, Scientist) style. With some film dialogue overdubbed in.
VRBA – Track dedicated to Rudolf Vrba. I wrote the lyrics in a stream-of-consciousness method after finishing Vrba’s autobiography. Musically, the track is split into 2 halves, the first half represents despair and the second half, hope.
Death of Kerim – The lyrics to this track are about the painting ‘The Death of Marat’ by Edvard Munch. I wanted to create a story around the painting. In this case, the music and lyrics were written completely separately. Musically it is probably the most diverse on the album, a mixture of noise rock, folk, techno and psychedelic.
Everything is Becoming – The poem for this song was written as a letter to the artists, contrarians and marginalised. Perhaps to let someone know they are not alone in their struggles. I don’t really know what style of music this is, the guitar playing is somewhat paranoic, with the 909 drums and MOOG bass line drawing from 90s electronic music. Of all the songs on the album, this one perhaps represents me the most.
ARTIST BIO:
Sam Uctas is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and guitarist with a passion for blending traditional guitar-driven songwriting with experimental soundscapes. Drawing influence from the greats of rock, funk, and jazz, as well as the writers of the Beat Generation, his work pushes boundaries while remaining deeply rooted in a love of music and storytelling.
