Doomscroll Rodeo: Sam Carlson’s On My Phone (and I Missed It) Is Honkytonk Americana for the App-Trapped Age –

Honkytonk breached the 21st century through Sam Carlson’s tragically relatable latest single, On My Phone (and I Missed It). If the twangy Americana earworm didn’t carry its cheeky quintessential charm, it would probably send everyone who hears it into an existential spiral once they realise how much of life has slipped by as they were staring into the architecture of time-stealing apps.

Somewhere between satirical, observational and confessional lyricality, On My Phone (and I Missed It) resounds as the ultimate sign of our mind-frayed times, as Carlson squares up to his digital addiction with enough jovial barroom levity to keep the sermon from becoming sanctimonious. The track has that rare old-country knack of making a joke land first, then letting the punchline brew into uncomfortably potent truth.

Written in Key West with local poet laureate Tortuga Jack Hackett, an 80-year-old kayak guide with ties to Shel Silverstein, the single carries the spirit of folk humour passed through a modern malaise. Updating the premise of Silverstein’s I Was Stoned and I Missed It for the age of phones gives Carlson a perfect vehicle for his plainspoken wit.

With a ten-track album, Any Minute Now, planned for vinyl later this year, and 500 vinyl copies already sold of 2024’s The Second Hand without online promotion, Carlson clearly knows how to reach listeners beyond the algorithm.

On My Phone (and I Missed It) is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast