Blessed is the moniker of Sydney-based, Ghanaian musician Samuel Joe-Andah, who reminds us of other such genre-blending alternative rockers as THEY. or Raury (do check out his industry clapback statement ‘Odyssey’ after this.) He’s currently on a weekly release schedule, whereby the young Australian artist shares new music every Blessed Sunday - as he has dubbed it - and the first of this ambitious release schedule is ‘Beamin’’. In a recent tweet, Blessed describes the forthcoming series of tracks as a “sonic diary of new sounds, thoughts and emotions” and, that being the case, ‘Beamin’’ is an insight into the shadowed thoughts and haunted feeling, to which we react, looking for escapism in hedonistic pleasures. The punk drawl and rough-edged guitars reflect this inner-darkness, while Blessed’s lyrics paint a vivid picture. For example, here’s one of our favourite lines: “We been up for forty-eight hours / Champagne showers / Runways in Tokyo / The whole world’s ours / ‘Cause every week is fashion week / Haven’t even reached my peak.” It’s a potent bravado that’s propelled through the raucous strings and violent drums of ‘Beamin’’ - a vibrant, unflinching start to the new year. - Hannah Thacker