Swiss Indie Artist Sam Himself Debuts Upcoming Album With Personal New Track “Cry”
While the global pandemic was grinding life to a near halt, Sam Himself was just starting a European tour. After just one show, all the remaining dates were cancelled and the artist found himself in limbo, choosing between his chosen home in New York City and his native Switzerland. That’s when he wrote and recorded “Cry”, the latest from his upcoming debut album.
Opting to stay in his hometown of Basel, Switzerland, Sam self-quarantined at an Airbnb where he recorded his new material on the limited equipment he happened to have with him from his cancelled European tour. On the new single, Sam plays all the instruments except the bass and one lead guitar, which were added by member of the touring band. Recorded in part at a local studio and in part in his Airbnb attic, the song was produced remotely by longtime collaborator Daniel Schlett in Brooklyn.
Offering a first look at the album, “Cry” is a quiet yet impactful piece that highlights Sam’s controlled baritone vocals, akin to the likes of The National’s Matt Berninger. Against the dramatic and powerful arrangement, the song builds from an acoustic beginning into a sweeping anthem that perfectly pairs with the vulnerable lyrics.
Brought on by self-isolation, the upfront honesty found in lyrics like “Leave your key by the door, there’s nothing left for you inside / So you ran out of road, out of places you can stay” perfectly capture the new dynamic of feeling isolated and rooted to one place brought on by restriction and lockdowns. As the chorus comes breaks, Sam calls for listeners to “Cry, bleed your poor heart dry / bitter tears for sweet goodbyes.”
Speaking about the inspiration for “Cry”, Sam says: “I was driving across Switzerland before dawn…I’d been up for a long time, the tour had just been canceled and, according to the news, I wouldn’t be able to fly back to New York anytime soon. Then my phone ran and at the end of that call, [my] relationship…had ended too. In a matter of hours, my life as I knew it was over.” Continuing, Sam says he was hoping to capture the dissonant state he was experiencing as he tried to process his own loss as the world around him seemed to be ending. “It’s a farewell letter to my old life,” he says, as well as “a reminder to myself not to wallow in self-pity amid a global catastrophe.” A reminder many of us may need, at the moment.
Sam’s debut album is due out in 2021, and the framework is made up of pieces written under the same context as “Cry” – in the midst of a pandemic and quarantine. Promising in its debut, the song is available to stream, and you can watch the accompanying lyric video below.
