Only Yours: Songs That Influenced Our Single "Surely I"

Only Yours’ debut album Overrun is an indie pop dream.

Based in Toronto and formed in 2016, Only Yours—comprising Lowell Sostomi, Kyle Watt, Devon Henderson, and Shaun Hogan—released the album at the beginning of February and have since won over listeners with their expression of self-reflection and modern sound.

Produced by Joe Chiccarelli, (The Shins, The White Stripes, Morrissey) and engineered by Leon Taheny (Arcade Fire, Dilly Dally Weaves), Overrun features Sostomi’s distinct baritone voice and his acclaimed emotional lyrics. From its piano-infused ballads to its high-energy synthy hits, Overrun has a track for everyone.

The lead single from Overrun, titled “Surely I,” has over 5,000 streams on Spotify since its release. The track makes listeners feel like they’re in an ‘80s romantic comedy, complete with synth and echoing vocals. Today Only Yours has put together a playlist of songs that inspired the single. Get immersed in everything Only Yours, below!

Songs That Influenced 'Surely I':

“Say Valley Maker”-Smog

Bill Callahan’s singing voice is so calm yet authoritative— I always loved how big it sounds in his recordings. He writes music with incredibly weight and has been a big influence of mine since I first heard Smog. This song exemplifies how masterfully he writes and I’ve always strived to do the same.

“The Colour Of Spring”-Mark Hollis

Mark Hollis’ solo record is melodically complex, super dynamic and plays by its own rules. The colours in this song are so unique and his voice is so incredibly emotive—two elements that I wanted to achieve in ‘Surely I’. I was listening to this record a lot when I wrote the song.

“Ideas As Opiates”-Tears For Fears

Tears for Fears are definitely one of my favourite bands and have been a steady source of influence and inspiration for me for many years. Roland write beautiful vocal melodies and the raw emotion that comes through when Roland belts the chorus is sublime.

“Bangkok”-Destroyer

This song is a good example of Destroyer’s ability to bring beautifully complex arrangements to simple pop songs. Their influence over us can definitely be heard in ‘Surely I’. The lush textures in ‘Bangkok’ can be attributed in part to Joseph Shabason’s contribution on Saxophone and we were lucky enough to have him play on ‘Surely I’.

“The Messerschmitt Twins”-Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark

I love the heartfelt vocal performance over the sparse synth lines and ambient pads in the background. In the second verse of ‘Surely I’ when the arpeggiated synth enters it’s a very OMD moment to me. We love the sound of their records and often reference their synth sounds.

“Do Your Best”-John Maus

John Maus is a big influence of mine. He’s able to take old sounds/ideas and make them new again. We always strive to bring our influences to the table without ever replicating them and I think John Maus does the same.

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