“Tender, openhearted... at once minimalist and cinematic!”
Swiss-American alt/indie rocker Sam Himself releases his much-anticipated new album Moonsongs, marking his third full-length release and the latest evolution of his distinctive, self-declared “Fondue Western” sound. Recorded with longtime producer Daniel Schlett (Iggy Pop, The War on Drugs) and mastered by Greg Calbi (Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie), Moonsongs strips down to the emotional core of Sam’s songwriting, by turns confidently minimalist and cinematically atmospheric, and intimately evocative throughout.
Following the release of album singles “Dance With Me”, “Backstreets”, “Perfect Strangers” and, most recently, “Pale Moon” (Sept. 26th), Moonsongs promises a collection of tracks that explore homecomings, departures, and the quiet spaces in between. The album is a testimony to the artist coming into his own, showcasing his versatility as a songwriter and a vocalist. Moonsongs ranges from soaring anthems to whispered confessionals, guided and unified by Sam’s signature voice and the distinctive production style he, together with producer Schlett, has been honing over the last five years since he first entered onto the international stage. The result reflects the life changes of all kinds and sizes that ultimately added up to a period of significant personal transformation for the artist.
The album’s focus track, “Goodbye Darkness”, with its sparse, moody arrangement, effortless hooks, and hauntingly poetic lyrics, encompasses much of what makes Moonsongs such an intriguing, original artistic statement.
After a year-long tour in support of his previous LP, a musical feature on HBO Max, multiple Swiss Music Award-nominations and a series of collaborations with the Basel Symphony Orchestra, Sam retreated to the pastoral Outlier Inn Studios in upstate New York to record his new material together with producer Schlett and bass player Josh Werner (Ghostface Killah), featuring contributions by Boshra AlSaadi.
Written between his native Switzerland and his longtime home in Brooklyn, Sam's new LP captures a dual sense of belonging and displacement. Rather than attempting to resolve this tension, Moonsongs surrenders to life’s ambiguities with integrity, grace and the sort of vulnerability only true confidence can afford. Sam weaves together threads of indie rock, folk, and post-punk into a sound that’s both intimate and expansive, calling to mind the emotional resonance of The National, Bon Iver, and Jeff Buckley, as he continues to carve a path uniquely his own.
Since his 2021 debut Power Ballads, hailed by KEXP as a “well-crafted set of atmospheric post-punk,” Sam Himself has earned two Swiss Music Awards nominations, landed music on international soundtracks, and built a devoted audience on both sides of the Atlantic. His 2020 EP Slow Drugs earned the National Broadcasting Network’s Best Talent Award and featured collaborations with Denitia, TEEN, and drummer Parker Kindred (Jeff Buckley; Elliott Smith).
“Born in Switzerland and bred in Gotham, Sam Himself blends indie and alternative with aspirations to conquer the world.”
— SPIN
Sam Himself shared his second album, Never Let Me Go (Sony Music / TGR), featuring Chris Egan (Solange; Blood Orange) on drums, in 2023. Leading up to the release, album singles Never Let Me Go (July 22, 2022), the album's title track; Golden Days (Sept. 16, 2022); and Mr. Rocknroll (Nov. 11, 2022) offered a taste of what to expect of the two-time Swiss Music Award nominee's sophomore effort: “an often-gorgeous blend of moody post-punk and psych-tinged indie-pop with an atmospheric sound combining shimmering synths, guitars and driving rhythms with his warm croon and lyrics of loss and renewal.” – KEXP
To dress for the occasion, Sam teamed up with Swiss fashion house YVY for a signature line of Sam Himself Buckle Trousers, launched jointly with the Mr. Rocknroll single release and flaunted extensively in the song's music video. In addition to Sam, YVY counts Madonna and Billie Eilish among its fans, according to the New York Times.
Heartland, the album's focus track, “finds Sam Himself at his most warm and soulful, offering up a soaring sound that brings hints of The Killers and The War on Drugs into the mix,” according to Under The Radar Magazine. In Sam's own words, "Heartland is my own personal road movie, vintage Fondue Western cinema shot through the lens of someone with eyes for no one except the one worth gunning a stuffy Prius across the United States for. If that sounds over the top, it is.”
Swap out the Toyota Prius for a cramped tour bus and you'll get the music video for Heartland, an eclectic collage of live footage, fan videos and self-made recordings of Sam and his band on the road. That's where you found the artist for most of 2023: Sam was on tour throughout the year, with stops in New York, Berlin, Vienna and an official showcase at Reeperbahn Festival in Hamburg (GE). The festival became the de facto release show for Eisbär, Sam's German language debut – a cover of Swiss post-punk greats Grauzone's 1981 sleeper hit of the same name.
Between shows, releases and the studio, in June 2023, Sam Himself's song La Paz was featured on HBO Max's Sex and the City reboot, And Just Like That (S2E02)
