New artist, new music

Today we’re excited to announce a new artist joining the Joy of Life roster. Perfect Binding - the new project of London-based songwriter Sam Bedford - shares debut single “Tincture”, a striking first glimpse into his self-titled debut EP. Where much of the record is marked by restraint and stillness, “Tincture” moves with a sense of urgency that is both dry and driving, and constantly on the edge of unraveling.

PRESAVE/PREORDER

Perfect Binding is the recording project of London-based songwriter and composer Sam Bedford. Based around nylon-string guitar, voice, cello and fragments of tape music, Bedford creates songs that feel gently detached and intimate and yet still rich in atmosphere.

His debut EP presents a collection of slow-burning, subtly arranged recordings  interspersed with between-the-eyes alt-rock pop songs that make for a an arresting listening experience. The collection draws as much from experimental traditions as they do from folk songwriting. Drawing comparisons to the likes of Robert Wyatt, Colleen, Vashti Bunyan or early Beirut, Bedford’s work lives in the in-between, neither lo-fi nor polished, neither throw-back nor contemporary.

Recorded with Benjamin Woods at the Joy of Life Studio in South East London, Perfect Binding offers a compelling introduction to a songwriter focused on tone, tension, and emotional undercurrent.

Anchored by a persistent guitar line and an understated vocal, Tincture gradually gathers weight, layered with melancholy synths, clipped percussion, and a constant feeling of propulsion. There’s a tension at the heart of “Tincture”, a song that pulls against its own structure, threatening at any moment to break.

The lyrics - ritualistic, image-led — gesture towards transformation, decay, and release:

“I will empty all the vessels, the tincture runs down my skin, onto the stone.”

While comparisons to artists like Robert Wyatt, Colleen or early Beirut might place Perfect Binding within a certain lineage of outsider folk, “Tincture” steps outside those line through its near-distorted electric guitars and dry and driven drums provided by James Luxton (Mould, Fenne Lily).

“Tincture” is available digitally on 12th August 2025 via Joy of Life International. The full EP Perfect Binding follows on 19th September 2025. Performing as a three-piece band, Perfect Binding will be playing shows this autumn, starting off with the Joy of Life International x Label Mates showcase at Moth Club on August 24th.

Artwork credits: Daniel Bloodworth. Link to hi-res download here

Thank you for listening

j o l i