Critically acclaimed guitarist and singer-songwriter Philip Sayce is pleased to announce the release of his upcoming single “Hole In Your Soul” on Friday, October 25th. The single is released by Atomic Gemini Records with distribution by Forty Below Records and is available on all streaming platforms HERE.
The new single dovetails Sayce’s UK tour, which starts Thursday, November 21st, at Leeds Brudenell Social Club. Tickets for all concerts are available from www.philipsayce.com/tour.
“Hole In Your Soul” is a heavy blues track screaming to be turned up loud. It is sure to inspire every guitar player to sit down with their favourite guitar and get lost in the song’s hypnotic groove. This new recording is a timely sneak peek into Sayce’s upcoming album, slated to be released in 2025.
“Hole In Your Soul” was tracked live at Noble Street Studios in Toronto, Canada, by producer and engineer Brian Moncarz and features the legendary Fred Mandel on Wurlitzer. This fresh recording and arrangement breathe new life into this reclaimed song, making it available to blues rock lovers, new and old.
From the moment Philip Sayce first put his hands on a guitar neck, he never let go. Malcolm Gladwell theorized that “greatness” requires 10,000 hours of practical training. A teenage Sayce had easily surpassed this threshold when his hometown hero, legendary guitarist and multi-platinum artist Jeff Healey, caught Sayce playing a ferocious show in downtown Toronto.
Within a year, Sayce was touring internationally with Jeff Healey’s band and performing at prestigious festivals. Since that time, Sayce has put in multiples of that 10,000 hours, recording and touring for four years with musical icon Melissa Etheridge, then launching a solo career and establishing a rabid fan base in Europe and beyond, opening shows for the likes of ZZ Top and Deep Purple. Sayce is a rare artist, a combination of outstanding songwriter, unparalleled guitarist, soulful singer, and electrifying performer.
Sayce’s most recent album, The Wolves Are Coming (2024), was recorded at Station House Studios in LA with Grammy-award-winning engineer Mark Rains. The sessions were produced by Sayce, mixed by Brian Moncarz (Toronto) and Mark Rains (LA), and released on Sayce’s label, Atomic Gemini, with distribution through Forty Below Records. Sayce contacted his long-time collaborators, drummers Michael Leasure, Aaron Sterling and Fritz Lewak, Fred Mandel on piano and organ, and vocalist Bernie Barlow.
Born in Wales, raised in Toronto, and Los Angeles-based, Sayce’s love of the guitar started at an early age when his parents introduced him to many of the influential greats including Albert King, Freddie King, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Albert Collins, Jeff Healey, Eric Clapton, and Jeff Beck. Sayce performed on Uncle Kracker’s album No Stranger to Shame, which featured the single “Drift Away,” a song that topped the Billboard charts for 28 weeks. He toured and recorded with Melissa Etheridge, and during this time, Sayce found time to record his first solo album, Peace Machine, with co-producer Michael Nielsen.
Influence (Warner Music). Recorded with Grammy award-winning producer Dave Cobb, the album spawned strong press notices, a top 20 radio track, and expanded his global audience. The release was followed in 2016 by Scorched Earth, Volume 1 (Warner Music), a captivating live performance documented at Toronto’s Silver Dollar Room. Sayce’s electrifying live performances leave fans awestruck — a devastating house-shaking appearance at Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Festival in New York City was heralded as one of the top performances of the event.
In 2020, during the global pandemic, Sayce released his seventh full-length album, Spirit Rising (Warner Music). The self-produced recording quickly became his most successful album without the support of tour dates or traditional promotion. Undaunted, Sayce turned his attention to social media and saw his fan base grow by over 300%. To date, Spirit Rising has eclipsed 131 million streams on Spotify.
With The Wolves Are Coming, Philip Sayce has surpassed expectations, intensifying the anticipation for his forthcoming album. “Hole In Your Soul” is an embodiment of Sayce reclaiming his power, reconnecting with and reimagining his songs so they can be released and available to audiences on Sayce’s terms.
Says Sayce, “The title of this song draws inspiration from an Albert King quote. It addresses the toxic obsession with material wealth and the relentless pursuit of external validation, often at the expense of one’s intuition and inner truth. The lyrics explore the futile attempt to fill an internal void with fleeting approval, leaving one perpetually unsatisfied. I’m thrilled to share this song with you. Feel the music — crank up the volume!”
