“Sam Himself uses his vocal power to sing songs of finding your place.” —Consequence Of Sound
“His deep, rich vocals remind us of the beauty that exists even during the darkest times.” —The Wild Honey Pie
“The King of Tears.” —Victoria Turrian, Radio Television Suisse
“Sam Himself’s baritone vocal provides a cool sensuality reminiscent of The National’s Matt Berninger combined with the soaring instrumentation of Future Islands.” —Ears To Feed
The 2021 Swiss Music Awards nominee, Sam Himself’s, latest release is the third single leading up to his debut LP, Power Ballads, (due out in October) following album singles “Nothing Like the Night” and “Cry.” The new single, “What It’s Worth,” premiered exclusively with Under The Radar Magazine.
Sam’s latest single is the swan song to a past relationship that crumbled in the wake of his father’s death. This reckoning with the past was inspired by the Swiss-born artist’s unexpected homecoming in early 2020 after a decade of living in Brooklyn, NY:
“My own history caught up with me during my time back in Switzerland. That’s where I grew up, and living there again brought back a lot of memories; home doesn’t forget… One ghost I kept running into was that of an old relationship that fell apart when I lost my dad a few years ago. My hometown is the place where all of that happened, his death and all its casualties, and “What It’s Worth“ is about one of them.”
You can listen to “What It’s Worth” HERE. You can watch the accompanying lyric video HERE.
When the COVID-19 pandemic brought the world to a standstill early last year, Sam had just embarked on tour in Europe. Suddenly unable to return to his adopted home in New York City, Sam set up shop in his native Basel, Switzerland. At various locations including his mom’s attic, Sam spent the lockdown writing the ten new songs on his upcoming debut LP, Power Ballads. He finished recording the album as soon as he was able to return to NYC this past January, together with his longtime Second Beatle, producer and mixing engineer Daniel Schlett (The War on Drugs; Amen Dunes). The pair had most recently collaborated on Sam’s acclaimed 2020 EP Slow Drugs, which featured drummer Parker Kindred (Jeff Buckley; Elliott Smith) as well as bassist Josh Werner (Ghostface Killah; Iggy Pop), and earned Sam Himself the Swiss National Radio’s prestigious Best Talent Award that same year. You can watch the music video for the album’s title song, “Slow Drugs,” HERE.
Sam’s upcoming full-length debut was mastered by Greg Calbi (David Bowie; Bruce Springsteen) and will be supported by extensive touring this fall through winter 2022 in Switzerland, Germany, and beyond.
LYRICS TO “WHAT IT’S WORTH”:
I’m back where we broke
A lifetime ago
My clock’s still stuck right where it froze
The night your trail went cold
With a head full of ghosts
No one else close
Scared to the bone
With no one else to run from
All that’s buried here
I carry it everywhere
My arms too weak to keep an even pulse
Still I can’t stop holding on
With a head full of ghosts
No one else close
Scared to the bone
With no one else to run from
Heart full of holes
For what it’s worth
I couldn’t love you more
I came to take your place
And be the one who left that day
With both hands throwing ash into the flame
Like I don’t know it’s way too late
With a head full of ghosts
No one else close
Scared to the bone
With no one else to run from
Heart full of holes
For what it’s worth
I never loved you more
