A CHESHIRE musician hoping to turn a hobby into a full-time job is celebrating the release of his second single.

Sam McLaughlin, from Northwich, released ‘The Devil Lies’ on January 6, after it gained traction on social media with more than 2,000 pre-saves.

Sam’s musical journey began when he received a guitar for his 13th birthday, and after a few lessons, he was hooked.

Sam started playing at open mic nights at Hartford Hall and small pubs, but during lockdown he started writing his own music about ‘real personal topics’.

This led to a debut EP ‘Iced Coffee at Midnight’, which was released in April 2021, when the young songwriter was just 19.

And now Sam is kicking off 2023 with a band new milestone.

Speaking about his second single, he explained: “The theme can be left to the listeners’ perspective, but it’s about letting go of something/someone you know is no longer good for you, even though you still want it/them, almost like an addiction.

Northwich Guardian: Sam McLaughlinSam McLaughlin (Image: Supplied)

“The style is a very grungy, an indie rock tune heard through the powerful drums and overdriven guitar, taking inspiration from the likes of Catfish and the Bottlemen, Kings of Leon and Idles. 

“The track was created in May 2022 with band members Stan Lewis, Tom Allen and Joel Howley.

“Me, Tom (lead guitarist) and Stan (Bassist) have our own band called ‘Match Fixing’, a project which has taken off over the past few months.

“We’re also joined by Will McKay who plays drums.

“In March, me and the band will be playing our biggest gig to date in Blackburn supporting The Illicits to 700 people.

“It’s just trying to turn this hobby into an actual job.

“It would be amazing to reach 100,000 streams on the new single and a UK tour would be unreal.”

For more information, you can follow Sam on social media: Sammclaughlin.music on Instagram, sammclaughlin.music on TikTok and Sam Mclaughlin on Facebook.