Premiere: The Lively Communal Spirit of Jack Conman’s “The Second I Choke” (Samsara Sessions)

Jack Conman's "The Second I Choke" for Samsara Sessions
Jack Conman's "The Second I Choke" for Samsara Sessions
Jack Conman and friends showcase the soulful surrender, cheer, and communal spirit of “The Second I Choke” in his new Samsara Sessions live video, bringing to life a a bold and lively song that thrives in a social setting.
Stream: “The Second I Choke” – Jack Conman




On paper, Jack Conman’s “The Second I Choke” is an intimate confessional touching on an addictive and dysfunctional relationship – a song of drama, tension, turbulence, and strain. In practice, however, it’s one of the sweetest songs you’ll have heard all year: A warm and whimsical moment of heartfelt connection and musical magic. Conman and friends showcase the soulful surrender, cheer, and communal spirit of “The Second I Choke” in his new Samsara Sessions live video, bringing to life a a bold and lively song that thrives in a social setting.

Seventh Sense Libido - Jack Conman
Seventh Sense Libido – Jack Conman
The second I choke on your second-hand
smoke I’m running out; I’m running out

The second I see the trouble
you’d be I’m running out; I’m running out
Imagine the wreck of your love and distress
you’re giving me, you’re giving me

And you going “Hey” and no matter which way
I’m running out, I’m running out

Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering Jack Conman’s “The Second I Choke” Samsara Sessions live video, performed with Leonard Hammersley and pals at The Rose and Monkey in Conman’s native Manchester. Taken off his recently released sophomore album Seventh Sense Libido (released February 26, 2021 via JonBoy Records), “The Second I Choke” is a tender, chorus-less four-verse song supported by a near-constant cascade of harmonized vocal “oohs.” Atop this rich commotion, Conman and Hammersley trade fours, weaving together a tale of “love and distress,” harmony and discord. Yet while their words paint a world of relationships woes, their musical collective – about five folks in total – immerse the ears in a wondrous serenade that grows stronger and stronger over time.

At a time when so many of us have been away from our loved ones for well over a year, their performance fosters a long-lost sense of community and togetherness; it’s a reminder of the joy that can be felt from one another’s physical presence – a testament to the power of connection.

Jack Conman © Stewart Baxter
Jack Conman © Stewart Baxter

“I wrote ‘The Second I Choke’ with my good friend Leonard Hammersley when we were working together in an ’80s porn themed bar in Manchester,” Conman tells Atwood Magazine. “We’d just finished a shift around 5 AM, when we started drunkenly banging on tables and singing like in a medieval bar scene. Lennie started belting out the vocals for the first section of the song with me doing the oohs in the background. I pulled my phone out and started recording so I could follow up with writing the full song in the morning. So really, it’s Lennie’s idea and I just finished the song off plus wrote the lyrics for my verses.”

“As for the video, we filmed it in the loft of the Rose & Monkey pub in Manchester’s Northern Quarter. We hadn’t practiced properly as a group so I was a bit nervous, but it came out really nice!”

It’s quite a mistake that you’re bothered to take a chance with me, a chance with me
Cause I am a mess and you’re in a dress it’s nothing less, it’s nothing less
Imagine my tongue when it’s quarter past one and wе’re in bed, and we’rе in bed
My head gets wrecked by a speckle of phet so I pull out yeah I pull out

The closest thing to a cappella that you’ll find on Seventh Sense Libido, “The Second I Choke” is a spirited embrace of the present: Boisterous, subtle, nuanced, and dependent upon a swell of voices carefully building in tandem, it’s a feel-good revelry for all who choose to bask in its sunny sounds and calming, colorful melodies.

Seventh Sense Libido is out now, as is Conman’s newest single, “Sad Sex.” Stream Jack Conman’s “The Second I Choke” Samsara Sessions performance exclusively on Atwood Magazine!

All video, sound and editing are produced by The Samsara Collective.

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Stream: “The Second I Choke” – Jack Conman



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