Black Sands (the brainchild of Andrew Balfour) has today released their new single titled ‘Making Memories’ from their upcoming album, dropping soon. While Andrew’s roots are clearly in country and acoustic rock, I have to ask: “Is country really country anymore?” The days of the original troubadours like George Jones and Hank Williams are long gone, but artists like Black Sands and others within the last decade or so have transformed it and molded it into something totally different.
Admittedly, I’ve never been a fan of country music. Having said that, ‘Making Memories’ is not a country song. It picks and prods the roots of country and fuses them with a little bit of everything while filtering all of that through the mind of a true artist. The end result is a song that gives you a peek at what is to come with said artist’s upcoming album. This is a genre for the new millennium.
Black Sands is that magic moment where an artist can reach across genres and unite people that would normally not be caught at the same shows and places them together in perfect harmony with their phones set to record.
About ‘Making Memories’
“Making Memories” is the first single from Black Sands’ upcoming album, as well as the first song from their new chapter —a reintroduction to the emotional core of Black Sands’ songwriting, rooted in Americana and acoustic storytelling. Produced alongside Davide Russo (The Chainsmokers, Marshmello) and featuring Brandon Chase on vocals, “Making Memories” is drenched in warmth and summertime optimism, making it a perfect end-of-summer song.
“It’s about carefree nights out—locking eyes with someone across the room, falling in love, getting drunk, dancing, laughing, making unforgettable memories. It feels good. It’s nostalgic, it’s cinematic, and it’s how I hope people end their summer,” says Balfour. The track blends quintessential pop-country sounds with evocative, fun lyrics such as, “I’ma fill my cup, put some whiskey in the bottom, babe, Singing all night, giving that achy breaky Billy Ray. Feel like I’ve known you for all my days,” resulting in something fresh yet familiar.
Trading his previous soaring synth-pop maximalism for grounded Americana sounds and lyrical intimacy, Balfour’s latest track is a “return home,” an homage to remembering positivity and light when reflecting on loss and departure. “Making Memories” was co-written by Balfour and Ryan Lawrie (BTS, TxT, Enhyphen) and features guitars from Giacomo Pasquali.
At its core, Black Sands is a creative refuge, not just for Andrew Balfour, the project’s mastermind, but for all its collaborators. “I wanted to give people space to try things they hadn’t done before. To step outside the constraints of genre or expectation. That freedom led to some of the most experimental, immersive work I’ve ever made,” explains Balfour. Black Sands built a reputation on genre-bending soundscapes that drew comparisons to alt-pop icons like The Weeknd, The 1975, and Post Malone.
But with his newest work, Balfour turns the volume down and the vulnerability up. While the first few years of Black Sands sound like someone trying to outrun their pain by building beautiful things, their latest chapter is different. These songs were born out of immense personal loss after Balfour experienced the deaths of his two siblings. These tragedies marked a turning point in both Balfour’s personal and musical journeys. His latest writing shows the other side of grief: the part that still wants to live fully. It’s not about escape anymore, it’s about arrival.
“This isn’t a reinvention. It’s a homecoming,” Balfour explains. “It’s a return to the kind of music that feels lived-in and real. A shift from sound design to soul work. I’m still writing from contrast—but now, I’m letting the light in.” With over 4 million streams, press in outlets like Wonderland, Rolling Stone India, and Atwood Magazine, sync placements with JetBlue, UFC, and the London Olympics, recent nominations at the Hollywood Independent Music Awards, and 2nd Place in the Unsigned Only Songwriting Awards, Black Sands has already made a name for themselves in the music scene.
About Black Sands
Black Sands is the musical project of LA-based songwriter and producer Andrew Balfour, a veteran creative whose work exists in contrast — a collision of cinematic beauty and emotional honesty, of darkness and light. For the past five years, Black Sands has built a reputation on immersive, genre-bending soundscapes that drew comparisons to alt-pop auteurs like The Weeknd, The 1975, and Post Malone. But with his newest work, Balfour turns the volume down — and the vulnerability up.
The new chapter of Black Sands trades experimental synth pop maximalism for stripped-back songwriting rooted in Americana, pop-country, and acoustic storytelling. It’s not a reinvention. It’s a homecoming.
Born out of immense personal loss — the deaths of both his sister and brother, each tied to addiction — this new era is more grounded, more centered. The music was written on a guitar in quiet moments, after the noise had settled. It explores the emotional tension between grief and growth, memory and momentum, love and regret. But it also makes space for joy, summer nostalgia, and the strange optimism that lingers even in broken places.
“Making Memories,” the first single of the new era, is a radiant, feel-good anthem — a love letter to carefree nights, shared glances, drinks that blur into laughter, and the kind of moments you wish you could live in forever. It’s cinematic, sun-soaked, and tender. Other forthcoming tracks explore different shades of emotional duality: the reckless charm of “Rock Me”, where Bacardi-fueled escapism masks loneliness; and “Our First Night”, a modern love story wrapped in timeless warmth and quiet wonder.
While the new sound leans into the textures of country-pop and folk, Black Sands remains unmistakably modern — cinematic in spirit, emotionally layered, and lyrically intimate. Think guitar-forward storytelling filtered through the lens of someone who’s lived through contrast: former touring guitarist, global creative leader, brother, and wanderer.
With over 4 million streams, press in outlets like Wonderland, Rolling Stone India, and Atwood Magazine, sync placements with JetBlue, UFC, and the London Olympics, and recent nominations at the Hollywood Independent Music Awards and 2nd Place in the Unsigned Only Songwriting Awards, Black Sands is no stranger to acclaim. But this chapter is different. It’s quieter. Truer. More human.
“I used to build sonic worlds to better understand or outrun my pain,” says Balfour. “Now I’m building something to live in — something that feels like home.”
Featured image by Red Gaskell.
LINKS:
https://www.blacksandsmusic.com/
https://www.facebook.com/black.sands.official
https://www.instagram.com/black.sands.official/
http://www.youtube.com/@BlackSands
https://open.spotify.com/artist/0b8blQos0fx43NVNfeyYDq