Golden Days - Sam Himself
By Sophia Stanford
After more than a year since his debut LP, Power Ballads, the Switzerland-born, Brooklyn-based singer Sam Himself returns with an uplifting and vulnerable single Golden Days, that rings with hope and defiance. With thumping climaxes of guitar that seem to fade behind his almost whispering, slightly breathless voice, the song itself, quite literally, feels golden.
Golden Days - Sam Himself
The song feels euphoric in part, twinged with uplifting and hopeful notes, breaking away from the general sense of powerlessness in Power Ballads, and makes space for more emotional range that we have yet to see from the singer. However, despite the misleading promise of yearning, the song equally bleeds with sorrow as Sam Himself asks throughout Tell me how’d we get this far from / Our golden days, retrospectively nostalgic and pleading for more.
The contrast between his sometimes gravelly tones compliment the twinkly and ethereal guitars; the general production of the song is seamless, thanks to producer Daniel Schlett, which was then mastered by Greg Calbi. At certain points, the song feels like a Coldplay track you’ve forgotten, or maybe a niche Beach Boys ballad, or that singer from the 80s that your mum loves. There is something wonderfully comforting and familiar about this single, and feels as joyous upon repeat as the original listen.
Pictured: Sam Himself
Sam Himself’s charming music video for the track sees him dressed fittingly with a cowboy hat a sparkly silver suit and camp make up, dancing on the stage of a country music video. Sam Himself, himself, admitted to listening to lots of Country and Western music before the inception of this track, and although the song does stay within the parameters of his indie, quasi-rock sonic identity, you can hear that certain notes and lyrics are influenced by those Country sounds. He confesses: ‘I’d just been on tour, meaning days and days in the van listening to nothing but Country – ask my band, they love it! – so all I could come up with was, like, Patsy Cline!’
Sam Himself will be returning to the stage next year, hopefully alongside a new album. Already announcing his dates for his Europe tour, (with the promise of an additional tour in the US), you can catch him on stage via the dates below.
15.02.2023 / Plaza in Zürich, Switzerland
16.02.2023 / Bierhübeli in Bern, Switzerland
17.02.2023 / Kammgarn in Schaffhausen, Switzerland
18.02.2023 / Kaserne in Basel, Switzerland
24.02.2023 / Presswerk in Arbon, Switzerland
25.02.2023 / Schüür in Luzern, Switzerland
03.03.2023 / B72 in Wien, Switzerland
27.03.2023 / Nachtleben in Frankfurt, Switzerland
28.03.2023 / YUCA in Köln, Switzerland
29.03.2023 / Nochtspeicher in Hamburg, Germany
30.03.2023 / Privatclub in Berlin, Germany