With charming lyricism and an irreverent delivery, rising indie rocker Sam Levin’s ‘First World Problems’ feels like a recipe for success. Coming from off of his upcoming sophomore album, I Am, Levin’s single recalls a time where poppy hooks met world-conscious rock brevity to create some of the greatest music to grace the pop-rock movement. Drawing similarities to the likes of Scott Murphy and Julian Casablancas, Levin pushes forward with throwback rock riffs and undeniable wit on his new single.
The accompanying music video for ‘First World Problems’ matches the song’s charm with a simple, but sweet recording of Levin’s performance. It’s another callback to days of old, where punk videos were ferried forward with dry humor and simplicity to succinctly carry their point across. For Folk’s Sake is privileged to do the very punk, very folk thing here and premiere it exclusively here today.
Levin says:
“First World Problems is all satire, it’s a nod to all the things I hear in the hallways, and a few true stories that I still remember, which remind me how lucky I am, but at the same time how much I take for granted. It’s one of the only real rock songs I’ve ever written, and it’s a ton of fun to play. I do an acoustic version when I perform the song live, but my favorite thing about the official version is the Strokes-inspired drums and crunchy guitar riff.”