Saint Raymond

Callum Burrows, who records as Saint Raymond, burst into view as an 18-year-old English singer and songwriter whose indie pop anthems promptly drew forecasts of major success from the press. Raised in Nottingham in the orbit of Jake Bugg and Dog Is Dead, he soon attracted parallel comparisons. Major labels first took notice in early 2013 when his debut EP, Escapade, surfaced on Gabrielle Aplin’s Never Fade label and registered on the digital chart. The momentum carried him through a European support run with Aplin, a signing to Asylum Records (home to Ed Sheeran), and U.K. dates alongside American soft rockers HAIM. He performed with a live band in the manner that had propelled Bastille, fronted by singer/songwriter Dan Smith, to Stateside prominence. Like Bastille he favors lush ’80s-inspired harmonies, yet his off-kilter rhythms echo Vampire Weekend’s Afro-beat approach. A second EP arrived in early 2014 and earned placement as Zane Lowe’s Hottest Record in the World on BBC Radio 1. Later that year he secured a three-month European support slot with Sheeran.

Jacknife Lee produced the debut album Young Blood, released in July 2015. Eleven of its seventeen tracks were issued as singles on either side of the launch, securing extensive mainstream U.K. radio play and propelling the set to number eight on the U.K. album chart. A cover of Major Lazer and DJ Snake’s “Lean On” further sustained his profile. He closed the year with a string of U.K. headline shows before stepping away from the spotlight. New Year’s Day 2017 brought the single “Oh Brother,” his first new material in more than a year and his final release for Asylum. The pared-back A Light That Blinds EP followed in November on Never Fade, the imprint where his career had begun. One year later “Echo” appeared via West London’s Cooking Vinyl label. After a return to Never Fade and a Mahogany Session, the 2020 singles “Right Way Round,” “Love This Way,” and “Wide Eyed Blind” launched the campaign for his second album, We Forgot We Were Dreaming, which arrived in early 2021.