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“Transplanted from his native Switzerland to New York City, indie rocker Sam Himself uses a vocal power somewhere between The National’s Matt Berninger and San Fermin’s Allen Tate to sing songs of finding your place.” – Consequence of Sound
After extensive live and radio performances in and around Switzerland in 2019, Sam Himself enters the next decade with a new body of work. “Slow Drugs,” his upcoming EP due out 5/29, represents a stylistic departure from Sam’s earlier, more band-driven recordings. Touring and performing solo have inspired tunes that function equally well with a full band onstage or when Sam’s all by himself.
In the studio, the five-track EP reunited Josh Werner (bass – Iggy Pop; Bill Laswell) and Parker Kindred (drums – Jeff Buckley; Joan As Police Woman) under the direction of mixer and producer Daniel Schlett (DIIV, The War on Drugs), Sam’s longtime creative collaborator, first listener and Second Beatle. The EP’s lead single of the same name, “Slow Drugs,” is scheduled for release on 4/3. The song features harmony vocals by Sam’s frequent live partner Denitia Odigie, a prolific, Brooklyn-based songwriter and vocalist. All songs were mastered by engineering legend Greg Calbi (Bruce Springsteen; David Bowie).
The music video for “Slow Drugs” was shot entirely in Switzerland and, unfortunately for Sam, on roller skates. Several near-death experiences on unsecured mountain passes notwithstanding, the video follows Sam, a prodigal son returned from exile, as he rediscovers the Swiss Alps and tries to make his way across the peaks and cliffs of a region of Switzerland he’s never been to before. The result shows the odyssey of a proverbial stranger in his own land. These visuals capture the tension between the song’s themes of familiarity and alienation, intimacy and loneliness, beauty and destruction – and of course the artist’s majestic grace on skates.
Sam heads back to Europe to tour in support of his upcoming release this spring. He’ll be on the road in March and again from mid-April through May, with New York shows in between to celebrate the releases of his single and EP (to be announced shortly).
ALT-INDIE SWISS ARTIST
SAM HIMSELF SHARES “SLOW DRUGS” ACCOMPANIED BY VISUALLY STUNNING MUSIC VIDEO
TRACK IS A DEEP DIVE INTO BEAUTY, INTIMACY, DESTRUCTION AND ALIENATION
TITLE TRACK FROM NEW EP SLOW DRUGS OUT MAY 29
FEATURED IN CONSEQUENCE OF SOUND, CULTURE COLLIDE, THE VINYL DISTRICT AND MORE
(Photo credit: Annie Forrest)
“Anthemic.”
“The one constant in his eclectic music is his emotive baritone timbre. It tells quite a story.”
LISTEN TO “SLOW DRUGS”
WATCH “SLOW DRUGS”
Alt-indie Swiss NYC-based artist Sam Himself shares his new single, “Slow Drugs” accompanied by an exceptionally stunning music video shot entirely in Switzerland. “Slow Drugs” is the title track off of his upcoming EP Slow Drugs set for release on May 29. The song features harmony vocals by Brooklyn-based songwriter and vocalist Denitia Odigie. Sam Koechlin (Sam Himself) shares,
“‘Slow Drugs’ began with a particular person and experience in mind, but the song kept growing in scope until it became this jubilantly morose ode to a whole period of my life when I craved some sort of medicine against the unbearable slowness of time spent alone.”
The music video follows Sam on roller skates, a prodigal son returned from exile, as he rediscovers the Swiss Alps and tries to make his way across the peaks and cliffs of a region of his home country he’s never been to before. Several near-death experiences on unsecured mountain passes later, the final result shows the odyssey of a proverbial stranger in his own land. These visuals capture the tension between the song’s themes of familiarity and alienation, intimacy and loneliness, beauty and destruction – and of course the artist’s majestic grace on skates.
After extensive live and radio performances in and around Switzerland in 2019, Sam Himself enters the next decade with a new body of work. Slow Drugs, his upcoming EP due out 5/29, represents a stylistic departure from Sam’s earlier, more band-driven recordings. Touring and performing solo have inspired tunes that function equally well with a full band onstage or when Sam’s all by himself.
In the studio, the five-track EP reunited Josh Werner (bass – Iggy Pop; Bill Laswell) and Parker Kindred (drums – Jeff Buckley; Joan As Police Woman) under the direction of mixer and producer Daniel Schlett (DIIV, The War on Drugs), Sam’s longtime creative collaborator, first listener and Second Beatle.
For more information about Sam Himself, visit his website or connect with him on social media @samhimself.
(Photo Credit: Annie Forrest)
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ALT-INDIE SWISS ARTIST
SAM HIMSELF SHARES BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN COVER
“DANCING IN THE DARK”
LIVE VERSION ALREADY ON ROTATION ON NATIONAL SWISS RADIO
FOLLOWS LEAD SINGLE AND TITLE TRACK OF NEW EP SLOW DRUGS OUT MAY 29
FEATURED IN CONSEQUENCE OF SOUND, CULTURE COLLIDE, ATWOOD MAGAZINE AND MORE
“Anthemic.”
“The one constant in his eclectic music is his emotive baritone timbre. It tells quite a story.”
“Translucent”
“Vibrant“
LISTEN TO “DANCING IN THE DARK”
Alt-indie Swiss NYC-based artist Sam Himself releases his version of Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing In The Dark” in anticipation of his upcoming EP, Slow Drugs. During a 2019 showcase, a Swiss radio personality who had previously dubbed Sam the “Swiss Bruce” challenged him to cover a Springsteen song live on national radio. The recording was an instant success and is still on national rotation to this day. The song became a staple of Sam’s set during that summer’s festival circuit and beyond. In an interview at the time, Sam said: “It’s no secret that I’m a big Bruce-head. “Dancing In the Dark” has always been my favorite song of his – it’s a pop masterpiece, but it’s really a country song at heart, very honest and actually pretty brutal, lyrically, behind the big hook and the fast tempo. That’s the part I tried to access with my version, the dark core that keeps me coming back to the song.”
“Dancing In The Dark” follows the success of Sam’s live version. The intimate recording closely traces the sparseness of Sam’s solo touring setup; apart from producer Daniel Schlett‘s otherworldly synth-guitars, Sam plays all the instruments on the song. In March of 2020, Sam headed back to Europe to tour in support of his upcoming release, hitting the road with Swiss pop star Anna Rossinelli. Unfortunately, the tour’s first show turned out to be its last: all remaining dates through May were postponed or canceled in response to the corona-virus pandemic. As of late April, Sam is in quarantine at an Airbnb in his hometown of Basel, Switzerland, until he’ll be able to return to his chosen home in New York City.
After extensive live and radio performances in and around Switzerland in 2019, Sam Himself enters the next decade with a new body of work. Slow Drugs his upcoming EP due out on 5/29, represents a stylistic departure from Sam’s earlier, more band-driven recordings. Touring and performing solo have inspired tunes that function equally well with a full band onstage or when Sam’s all by himself.
In the studio, the five-track EP reunited Josh Werner (bass – Iggy Pop; Bill Laswell) and Parker Kindred (drums – Jeff Buckley; Joan As Police Woman) under the direction of mixer and producer Daniel Schlett (DIIV, The War on Drugs), Sam’s longtime creative collaborator, first listener and Second Beatle. The EP’s lead single, “Slow Drugs,” has already earned Sam multiple editorial playlist features; the accompanying video surpassed 100k views on Vevo to date.
(Photo Credit: Annie Forrest)
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SAM HIMSELF RELEASES EP
SLOW DRUGS
SHARES MUSIC VIDEO FOR SECOND SINGLE “LIKE A FRIEND”
EP LEAD SINGLE “SLOW DRUGS” FEATURED ON MULTIPLE EDITORIAL APPLE MUSIC PLAYLISTS
FEATURED IN CONSEQUENCE OF SOUND, CULTURE COLLIDE, ATWOOD MAGAZINE AND MORE
“Anthemic.”
“His deep, rich vocals remind us of the beauty that exists even during the darkest times.”
“The one constant in his eclectic music is his emotive baritone timbre. It tells quite a story.”
“Translucent.”
“Vibrant.”
LISTEN TO SLOW DRUGS
WATCH/LISTEN TO “LIKE A FRIEND“
Swiss Brooklyn-based alt-indie artist Sam Himself releases his new EP Slow Drugs together with focus track “Like a Friend.” The five-track EP follows hymnic lead-single “Slow Drugs” (4/3) and Sam’s very own version of Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing In the Dark” (4/24). Both songs have already earned Sam multiple editorial playlist features on Apple Music and are currently on national rotation on Swiss radio; the video for “Slow Drugs” counts over 125K views on Vevo to date.
The focus track for Sam’s new EP, “Like A Friend,” is accompanied by another visually stunning music video, shot in the Swiss city of Zurich. Joining forces again with the same director, Sam wanted to create a counterpart to his “Slow Drugs” video, which takes place entirely in the Swiss Alps. Where the latter relishes the daytime splendor of Swiss nature, “Like A Friend” takes its viewers on a journey through one long night deep in the seedy underbelly of Switzerland’s biggest city, where drugs are decriminalized, prostitution is legal, and last call rarely comes before dawn. The video also marks the screen debut of Sam’s little brother, who dyed his hair blond for the occasion and was entirely nonplussed at the few public drunks populating the amusement district during the pair’s early evening shoots.
According to Sam, “‘Like a Friend’ is about coming to terms with an ending and admitting to yourself that an era of your history is over, that you’ve exhausted some defining idea of who you are – or thought you were. If you’re truly trying to accept that and move on, you need a brief truce between the various warring factions inside you. Part of the song is an internal plea to be on your own side and cooperate with yourself in letting go.”
Mere weeks after the final take of the video for “Like A Friend,” in March 2020, Switzerland shut down in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Sam was back in Europe at the time to tour in support of his upcoming release, hitting the road with Swiss pop star Anna Rossinelli. Unfortunately, the tour’s first show turned out to be its last: all remaining dates through May were postponed to this fall or canceled because of the virus. As of late May, Sam is in quarantine at an Airbnb in his hometown of Basel, Switzerland, until he’ll be able to return to his chosen home in New York City.
Sam’s new EP Slow Drugs represents a stylistic departure from his earlier, more band-driven recordings. Touring and performing solo have inspired tunes that function equally well with a full band onstage or when Sam’s all by himself. In the studio, the five-track EP reunited Josh Werner (bass – Iggy Pop; Bill Laswell) and Parker Kindred (drums – Jeff Buckley; ANOHNI) under the direction of mixer and producer Daniel Schlett (DIIV, The War on Drugs, Amen Dunes), Sam’s longtime creative collaborator, first listener and Second Beatle.
For more all things Sam Himself, visit his website or connect with him on social media @samhimself.
###
SAM HIMSELF
RELEASES LIMITED EDITION VINYL OF NEW EP
SLOW DRUGS
EP SINGLES “SLOW DRUGS” AND “LIKE A FRIEND” ADDED TO MULTIPLE EDITORIAL APPLE MUSIC AND SPOTIFY PLAYLISTS
FEATURED IN CONSEQUENCE OF SOUND, CULTURE COLLIDE, AMERICAN SONGWRITER, ATWOOD MAGAZINE AND MORE
(Photo Credit – Stefan Tschumi)
“Anthemic.”
– Consequence Of Sound
“His deep, rich vocals remind us of the beauty that exists even during the darkest times.”
– The Wild Honey Pie
“The one constant in his eclectic music is his emotive baritone timbre. It tells quite a story.”
– Culture Collide
“Translucent.”
– Variance Magazine
“Vibrant.”
– Atwood Magazine
(TODAY – SEPTEMBER 18, 2020) – Swiss Brooklyn-based alt-indie artist Sam Himself releases a limited edition vinyl version of his applauded new EP Slow Drugs via Swiss label Taxi Gauche Records. The five-track EP includes singles “Like a Friend” and the hymnic title song “Slow Drugs,” both of which have already earned Sam multiple editorial playlist features on Apple Music and Spotify, and are currently on national rotation on Swiss radio; the video for “Slow Drugs” counts over 185K views on Vevo to date. Since its digital release on 5/29, the EP has also earned the artist critical acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic, including the prestigious Best Talent award by the Swiss National Broadcasting Service.
Although Sam hasn’t been able to return to his chosen home of Brooklyn, NY, since March of this year, that hasn’t kept him from staying productive. This fall, he’s planning to release a new video as well as a new single in anticipation of his debut LP (2021). Meanwhile, Sam is on tour in Europe, launched by a sold-out vinyl release show in his hometown of Basel, Switzerland on 9/24.
Sam’s new EP Slow Drugs represents a stylistic departure from his earlier, more band-driven recordings. Touring and performing solo have inspired tunes that function equally well with a full band onstage or when Sam’s all by himself. In the studio, the five-track EP reunited Josh Werner (bass – Iggy Pop; Bill Laswell) and Parker Kindred (drums – Jeff Buckley; ANOHNI) under the direction of mixer and producer Daniel Schlett (DIIV, The War on Drugs, Amen Dunes), Sam’s longtime creative collaborator, first listener and Second Beatle. Both the digital and vinyl versions were mastered by Greg Calbi (David Bowie; Bruce Springsteen).
For all things Sam Himself, visit his website or connect with him on social media @samhimself.
(Photo Credit – Stefan Tschumi)
SAM HIMSELF
SLOW DRUGS
TRACK LIST:
1. Slow Drugs – SIDE A
2. Like a Friend– SIDE A
3. Take Me Bad – SIDE A
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4. Maybe Allison – SIDE B
5. Someday You’ll Be the Fool and You’ll Know What It’s Like – SIDE B
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ANNIE FORREST
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Stefan Tschumi
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