Written: 28th September 2024
Sam Millar is a singer songwriter who knows exactly what kind of musician he is and he is fiercely proud of his style and craft. Virtual Summer (a retitled re-release – now including alternative versions of three tracks - of his 2023 album More Cheese Please) is a polished pop rock / soft rock album that celebrates a love of eighties AOR. Each track is filled with grandiose choruses, celestial harmonies and a dash of endearing cheesiness. It is a veritable time machine that transports listens to an era where neon lights, soaring guitar solos and synthesizers reigned supreme. “I guess you could call it cheesy, but there’s something about being able to sing a song after you’ve heard one chorus, the feeling it gives you – it’s just so positive," Millar comments.
Opening track The Killing Floor sets the scene. Catchy hooks, sparkling keyboards and an anthemic chorus can all be found within its four minutes and there can be no mistake as to the style of album Virtual Summer will be. Driving bass keeps your foot tapping and delivers on Millar’s promise that his songs will start to embed themselves in your consciousness from the first listen. It is a clarion call to those who love the AOR of the eighties and the vibrancy of his solo envelops you in a cocoon of nostalgia.
Fooling Yourself is a little more powerful and builds on the infectious energy of The Killing Floor. Many of the tracks would sit happily on the soundtrack to many eighties films and Fooling Yourself is no exception. It would be easy to imagine this serving as the music for a classic eighties montage. Slowing the tempo for the last section of the song makes it lose a little of its momentum; however, Millar ramps up the grandeur with a more reserved solo and layer upon layer of harmonies. “Fooling Yourself is quite heavy, but in my head I wanted it to be a rocked-up version of ABBA. People probably think I’m mad, but I love ABBA!” Millar enthuses.
More poppy in nature, Something I’ll Regret successfully plays with dynamics: quiet in the verses, louder and effervescent during the choruses. Channelling all of his Toto influences – just listen to some of those guitar chord rhythms - When The Summer Ends offers something a little different with less predictable percussive structures, at least in the verses. Millar slows the tempo a little and offers a more reflective outlook; lyrically it conjures images of moonlit drives along coastal highways, the ocean breeze mingling with the scent of salt and possibility.
Chardonnay and Showbiz (which even throws in some cowbell) are as slick as their titles suggest but these melodramatic undertones are what Virtual Summer was written to celebrate. There is a jubilant atmosphere running throughout the album and both these tracks bring will prompt the listener to smile. This is not complicated music; it is music to entertain and is designed as an antidote to the fickle British weather. “Half the time it’s raining and miserable, so Virtual Summer is like tapping into summer whenever you need to, just put it on and it’s always there for you,” Millar explains.
Following the glam rock tinged Forget You, Dancing On My Own is highly reminiscent of Too Low For Zero era Elton John and in Millar’s words is, “quite heavily Huey Lewis and the News and Hall and Oates territory.” Despite its more poppy tropes than many of the AOR influenced songs across the album, Dancing On My Own holds its own. Deja Vu – although the most synth driven track on the album – contains one of the most memorable guitar solos and during the final third builds some impressive layers of instrumentation, pulling at the heartstrings with its chord sequence.
Ending the album with the upbeat Neanderthal Man – which for the opening seconds has something of In The Night by Pet Shop Boys about it – and Meet Me Halfway - another soft rocker, Millar ensures that the album ends with fireworks and energy. The latter’s climatic chorus, a triumphant crescendo of sound, is a fitting finale to this musical odyssey. There is absolutely no pretence from Millar about his songs but there is also a pride in what he has achieved. “My music may be tongue-in-cheek, but it’s no joke. I can’t call it a guilty pleasure, because why would you feel guilty about that? I’ve written, produced and played everything myself. There isn’t really a scene for this, and that’s a good thing – it’s feelgood radio pop, and there’s a place for that now”
Virtual Summer is an album with its heart boldly displayed on its sleeve with no secrets left to be discovered. However, for fans of this style of music, there is more than enough about the album to stand up to repeated listens. Fans of Toto, Bryan Adams, Rick Springfield, Richard Marx, Kenny Loggins, Journey, The Outfield and Foreigner will find much to enjoy. Lyrically, it is as saccharine as they come but the whole thing is such an unapologetic embrace of the era that it pays homage to, that the unabashed sentimentality and over the top exuberance are precisely what makes Virtual Summer so captivating. Meticulously produced, Virtual Summer finds itself in a world where complexity and innovation are often prized but it reminds us that sometimes pure entertainment is enough. Tapping into the simple joys of music, carefree nights and youthful dreams, it creates a sonic experience that is both fun and satisfying.
Virtual Summer is out now.