It actually sounds like a pretty funny story: On the way to Emil’s studio, Sam got stranded in Teckomatorp, Sweden, waited in vain for a bus that never showed up, and ended up getting there after an expensive taxi trip. As we all know, situations like this can sometimes get you pretty worked up in the moment, but they’re all the more laughable afterward. Or, you might just turn the six-hour ordeal into a new song, just like the two musicians and band members, Sam Gillbanks and Emil Lloyd of Normal Average People, did.
“Refund Taxi,” released ahead of their EP Seb Wildblood via the All My Thoughts label, deals with the frustration and helplessness of a trip that didn’t go as planned. Situations like this teach us not only patience but also acceptance—the willingness to fully surrender to a situation we can’t change. And thanks to the fact that things sometimes turn out differently than expected, we now have this wonderfully fresh, cool song that might just brighten up one or two waiting periods. It starts with a strong bass guitar and gradually builds with multi-layered rhythms and melodies that intertwine, uplift, and remain unpredictably exciting. “Overthinking, always overthinking…” Sam sings with his cool, deep voice, capturing the essence of many driven souls in today’s world. But we’re already grooving and singing along, free from our own thought spirals.
The duo first came together as flatmates in Southeast London, where their joint musical journey began. Their debut EP, The Moon Saloon, was recorded live with a band in Peckham. Today, Emil lives in Stockholm and Sam in London, but this hasn’t hindered their creative collaboration—quite the opposite. New paths lead to new ideas, and we’re excited to hear more from these talents influenced by electronic music and ’90s shoegaze.
Refund Taxi Available via All My Thoughts
Photos by Press Courtesy
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