Sam Smith heads in poppy direction with new track
When Sam Smith first grabbed our attention with his collaborations with artists like Disclosure, we expected him to serve us the bops. When he started focusing on his solo material however, he delivered mostly soulful ballads and midtempos. Nothing wrong with that as it brought him loads of success, but it is clear that Smith is ready to spice things up a bit. After the outstanding ‘Promises’ with Calvin Harris and the understated bop ‘Dancing With A Stranger’ with Normani, Smith shows himself from another different angle on ‘How Do You Sleep?’.

‘How Do You Sleep?’ is not the balls to the wall type of banger, but it is a subtle and sophisticated bop. The melody lines are exquisite and something in the chorus reminds me of a late 90s R&B classic. The build up is there although the post chorus drop comes a tad late as this sound peaked about two years ago. Having said that, the tune itself does not rely on the drop. The drop does not have to pretend to be a chorus, because there is a proper chorus already there. In the lyrics, Smith asks himself how his former lover who betrayed him can live with himself and fall asleep at night. We have all asked ourselves that question at least once in life, so this is relatable content for sure.

In the video for the tune, Smith shows a different side of himself as a pop star. Surrounded by male dancers, he performs a sensual and fabulous choreography and he oozes confidence while doing it. This is artistic growth I can fully get behind!