Samora Pinderhughes’ new record may only consist of four tracks, but these songs are so weighted with meaning that it feels like a full-album listening experience. The Juilliard-trained pianist and vocalist’s first single from his Black Spring EP, “Hold That Weight,” demonstrates the gravity of the project, telling the story of a recently incarcerated man attempting to re-acclimate to society while managing the trauma inflicted upon him by a corrupt criminal justice system and an inhumane carceral state.
In addition to his rich musical background, Pinderhughes is a member of Ryan Coogler and Ava DuVernay’s Blackout for Human Rights group and Common’s non-profit Imagine Justice, among other social justice organizations. It’s this dedication to progress that fuels his music, as well as the short film director Daniel Fermín Pfeffer shot for the new single, which follows a man attempting to return to normal life after undergoing the circumstances outlined above (the man is played by Lucas Monroe, whom the film is loosely based on).
“So many conversations around prison reform revolve only around ‘innocence’ and that is a problem,” Pinderhughes explains. “That leaves so many people out who are incarcerated for things they did do, but still do not deserve to be caged and traumatized and treated inhumanely. We have to imagine new ways and new structures—we have to change our society from one that punishes to one that takes care.”
Monroe adds, “We need to show people with family lives who are struggling and make mistakes and should be allowed to learn from those mistakes and grow, instead of being punished and traumatized forever. The film is also about everything you were missing when you were incarcerated: the people around you that rally behind you, support you, make sure you feel love–and how important they are and how important that support is.”
Watch the clip below. Samora’s Black Spring EP is out April 24.
