Sam Jr. - Sam Jr. (2022) Hi-Res

Broken Social Scene's Sam Goldberg Jr. — Sam Jr. for short — has announced his upcoming debut self-titled solo album. He's also shared new single "Sweet Face," alongside an Adam Seward-directed video. Set to arrive on March 10 via Arts & Crafts, Sam Jr. marks the Canadian indie-rock maestro's first time stepping out on his own. Even beyond BSS, he's a recognizable architect from the likes of Bodega, Uncut, Bionic, Hawaii and Yardlets — and now he's finally making the solo album people have been asking about for years.

"My concept for awhile [while] making this record was actually, 'What would the dude's band from The Big Lebowski sound like?'" Goldberg said in a statement. "I'm not sure it landed there at all, but I think I was trying to harness the easy-going nature and spirit of that character; I'm a hardwired optimist and a mellow person overall, and I wanted that to come across in the songs."

Without sacrificing the gritty sonic palate, new cut "Keep It Buried" takes a more introspective turn. The singer-songwriter described it as an "ode to all of us going through our days telling people we're doing great," but "crumbling with anxiety inside."

The rhythm guitar part reminds me of a ZZ Top riff. I think I'd seen a doc on them around the time I wrote the song, so they wormed into my brain. I also acquired an obsession with the wah-wah pedal out of the blue for some reason while making my album — I have no idea how it happened, but I have an addictive personality so it's on every song now.