Black Sands unleashes dark debut tune, "The Hardest Pill To Swallow"

Milwaukee-born Andrew Balfour - aka Black Sands - has recently unleashed his dark debut single, "The Hardest Pill To Swallow". The artist is now residing in Amsterdam, The Netherlands and is looking to make a big mark on the scene with this dark and yet uplifting cut.

With influences ranging from Nine Inch Nails, The Weeknd, and Post Malone there's a wide variety of inspiration for Andrew to draw upon. "The Hardest Pill To Swallow" has some wallowing guitar tones in the background with plenty of licks of piano keys, as you listen in more there's some epic and tamed vocals with a hint of melodies you'd expect to find in a mid 00's R&B anthem, a pure blend of multiple genres is going on here.


The opening minute is one of the most astonishing intros I've heard this year, it sustains you mid jaw drop and then drops you a whirlwind of noises that should be in a thriller flick.

Speaking about the release Black Sands says - "After not writing music for 8 years, I finally found the inspiration and motivation for Black Sands. The idea came from blending inspirations from the major phases of my life: the rock n' roll that shaped my years as a touring musician, my time in the entertainment industry, experiencing how a cinematic score can shift the mood, and becoming a fan of pop music that has the power to move you. I've learned the power of collaboration across industries, backgrounds, countries and sounds –how it can unlock something new and unexpected in the music. I wanted Black Sands to be this meeting point where contrasting ideas crash together to create something new, yet familiar."

"The Hardest Pill To Swallow" is heavily textured, there's so much going on from the intense drumming at the midway point, dark and distorted guitar tones that you'd find in the Goldeneye soundtrack with it all backed up by the dominant vocals that remind us of Nine Inch Nails mixed with a modern approach

With it being less than three minutes you'd think that you'd be fine with just the one play to love it, but as there's so much going on you find new things to get lost with every time you listen to it. If this is his debut release we're already excited for what's to come from this project, so go follow Black Sands on the socials and Spotify to keep in the loop!