Sykamore, California King EP Review and Interview

Two years after her last release, Sykamore has a new EP for country music fans with California King available now everywhere you get music.

We caught up with the Alberta-native from her place in Nashville to talk about the new EP, everything that went into it, and what comes next. And while we wish we were able to get together in person, a Zoom call was still a great way to connect, and we thank Sykamore for taking that time with us.

One of the things we talked about early in the call, and more than once throughout, was the time between Self + Medicine (January 2018) and this new music. Sykamore told us that she’s been ready and chomping at the bit to release new songs, but that she waited to have this completed new project before she pulled the trigger. We talked about the ability now to drop a single all on its own, but that she felt like this was important, and a new step in her career that needed to be done right.

Related: Self + Medicine, Sykamore Album Review

Part of that is due to her record deal with Mike Knox Records / BBR Music Group. It’s a different world than the one she worked in when she self-released her last EP, and we talked about that too. Sykamore heaped praise on Mike Knox who produced the record, telling us that he brings something she’d never had before to the table. She said that he was able to bring production ideas and techniques that brought the most out of the songs and that her ideas were able to mesh with his to create what we all hear now.

We talked about the songs too, with Sykamore telling us that it’s important to her that she’s involved from the very beginning. She’s a co-writer on all five songs from this EP (there are more we hope to hear in the future as well) and with her publishing agreement with Home Team (Rhett Akins, Thomas Rhett) a big part of her career, that should come as no surprise.

From Record High to Local Singles, there’s a lot to enjoy in this short EP. The writing is clever and the stories are relatable (the title track nails it with the “but you think you’re James damn Dean” line) and should connect with listeners the way country songs are known to do. Turn the volume up and listen close as you enjoy all five songs.

We asked her about the songs and about her experiences in music since we first saw her in December 2015 and met her at the 2016 CCMAs in London, ON. She said that a big part of what’s different for her comes from her attitude towards it all. Sykamore explained that earlier in her career, she was probably writing and singing to chase an idea of what she’d heard someone else already do in country music. We get it, it makes sense that if you’re trying to make it, you’d look to those who’d made it before you. But, she continued, after she made her move to Nashville and started writing the songs that become this project, she let that go. The decision to write and create and sing the songs that she wanted, the way she wanted, allowed her to embrace what makes her, her. That’s a wonderful thing for any artist to be able to do, and we’re glad that’s what California King is for Sykamore.

With the world in a very upside-down place right now, we don’t know what comes next for Sykamore’s live dates. But, we did talk about the summer, and she is hopeful that she’ll be able to get out on the road to festivals like Dauphin’s Countryfest, Country Thunder Wisconsin, Boots & Hearts, and Lasso to play her new songs. We asked if there were new things she hopes California King allows her to do, and she told us that playing in the US and overseas is on that list. Here’s hoping that she has the chance to play for festival fans, club fans, and radio stations all over the place when live music comes back to all of us.

All five songs on the EP are ones we’d recommend for you. We’ve already talked about Sykamore as a songwriter, and she shines on these tracks. The shoutouts to great songs from other artists on Record High will connect with music fans who know and love them and to whom music is a big part of their lives. The emotion in Out Of Luck is real and relatable and rough. We already talked about California King and me loving the lyrics there. And then at the end is Local Singles.

I think it’s a jam and a summer hit waiting to happen. This is a song that is made for live performances and the crowd coming together. But it’s also made for best friends out for a night together to embrace as their anthem. Local Singles is my pick for a single, either now or as the warm weather approaches and life returns to some sort of normal.

Sykamore told us that it’s felt like a long time since she’s had new music that she could share with country music fans, but that’s over now. California King is here, she has plans in the works for more after that, and from our conversation and her professional situation, it feels like we’re just at the start of something big and busy.

Thanks again to Sykamore for taking the time to talk to us. Hit play on the album stream now and tell us which track from California King you’re ready to play on repeat.

Sykamore, California King Tracklist

1. Record High
2. Where To Find Me
3. Out Of Luck
4. California King
5. Local Singles

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Joshua Murray

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