A Chat with Sam Gelston (10.06.26)
Sam Gelston is a Boston-based singer-songwriter known for his distinctive voice, raw production style, and emotionally honest songwriting. Influenced by artists like Elliott Smith, Big Star, and Jeff Buckley, he blends alternative rock, folk, and lo-fi elements into intimate, unpredictable songs. His latest release, See Through Now, showcases some of his most personal work while continuing to push the boundaries of his songwriting. We chat with Sam Gelston below.
OSR: See Through Now feels like your most personal and vulnerable work to date. Was there a particular moment or realisation that inspired the album’s overall direction?
Gelston: I think it was the culmination of almost a decade of personal growth and being fed up with being a perfectionist. I wanted to say what I wanted to say in an unfiltered way with a simplified delivery.
OSR: You wrote, performed, and recorded the entire album yourself in your bedroom. How did that level of creative independence shape the finished record?
Gelston: As a perfectionist, I always felt like I didn’t have enough time to get the sounds and ideas that I wanted out because I was always in a time crunch. With these songs, I really wanted to take the time to do them right by having them feel natural to me.
OSR: Throughout the album, you leave in imperfections that many artists might edit out. What does authenticity mean to you as a songwriter, and why was it important to preserve those moments?
Gelston: Authenticity means everything to me. Growing up listening to a lot of punk and folk music, I realised that the thing that drew me to a song or artist was the feelings portrayed and not the quality of the mix. I would rather have someone say how or what it is and mean it rather than trying to dance around the point of their message.
OSR: The album balances humour and heartbreak in a fascinating way, particularly on songs like ‘I’m Coming to LA to Kill You’. How do you approach blending dark comedy with genuine emotional weight?
Gelston: When I was growing up, I didn’t know how to handle a lot of the trials and tribulations of being an awkward and weird kid, so I would try to make jokes about myself or the absurdity that I saw around me. In doing that, my sense of humor has always had a sprinkle of dark absurdity, but like everyone, we’re all diverse and portray a variety of emotions, so the truth will always come through if you’re being genuine.
OSR: Artists such as Elliott Smith, Big Star, and Jeff Buckley are often mentioned as influences. What specific lessons have you taken from those songwriters, and how do you make those influences your own?
Gelston: Elliott Smith was a major influence on me as a teen into my early adulthood. I would consider him one of the closest songwriters to The Beatles in terms of song structure and harmony building. Big Star was shown to me around the same time (along with The Replacements), and to me they embodied power-pop and the most straightforward, intelligent, and quirky things that felt off limits when I was practising and learning to write songs. Growing up as a drummer, Matt Johnson, who played on Jeff Buckley’s ‘Grace ‘, was massive to me. The way he would frame songs while also adding lyrical and melodic drum fills and accents was a game changer for me as a drummer and songwriter.
OSR: Songs like ‘Lazy Too’ and ‘Who You Are’ explore themes of depression, isolation, and self-doubt. Was it difficult revisiting those emotions during the writing process?
Gelston: I don’t feel like I have to live in my depression or isolation to achieve writing or performing those songs; they’re just snapshots at the bottom of the well. It’s important to try to keep that perspective when I’m working through a difficult song like those and remember that I need to write these songs not just for myself but for people like me that need to know that they’re not alone.
OSR: ‘Somethings Last a While’ contains some particularly striking and unconventional imagery. What attracts you to language that challenges listeners or makes them slightly uncomfortable?
Gelston: I have always been a fan of wordplay and the way words can affect people. Why not say what you want to say and then turn it on its head and then rearrange it a few times to keep a listener on their toes?
OSR: You originally started as a drummer before teaching yourself guitar. How has your background as a percussionist influenced the way you write and arrange songs today?
Gelston: Keep. It. Simple. Don’t forget the groove and tell your story. Things don’t need to be hard; life is too complicated already.
OSR: ‘Make It Make Sense’ was written following your diagnosis of kidney failure and ultimately preserved from an iPhone demo. Can you talk about the emotions behind that song and why the original recording felt impossible to recreate?
Gelston: Emotionally, it’s cathartic. I needed to get that off my chest, and I had to let it out so I wouldn’t bottle it up and have it eat me. Like in one of the previous questions, I needed the pain and fear to be a snapshot and not become my whole life. I didn’t intend on releasing that song, and I tried to rerecord it, but that took everything and more.
OSR: Across its nine tracks, See Through Now embraces uncertainty rather than offering easy answers. After completing the album, what do you hope listeners take away from it, both emotionally and personally?
Gelston: I hope listeners feel like they’re not alone, it’s ok, and that they don’t have to live in their head. You can be involved in a painful song and still have it be beautiful in its ugliness. No one is perfect, and all of us weirdos need to stick together and sing loud and proud, so we don’t forget who we are.
Many thanks to Sam Gelston for speaking with us. Find out more about Sam Gelston on his official website, Spotify and Instagram.
