With the recent release of his latest album – ‘Never Let Me Go’ – Sam Himself has caught our attention, as such we’re diving in to focus on the fantastic song “Heartland” to give you a flavour of the full album and whet your musical appetite though the song & music video combo.
Opening with an curiosity-inducing synth line and combined with a whistled hook, this song instantly gets inside your head before Sam even starts singing and, when he does, a Bowie-meets-Springsteen sound is conjured up, delivering a nostalgic sound that still sounds modern thanks to The War On Drugs elements that also sit in the mix. The pounding bass adds a rhythmic element whilst also driving the song forward as the percussion maintains a steady beat. A personal highlight for us comes from the chiming guitars layered, typically, around the pre-chorus, adding some subtle-though-delicious musical treats for the attentive listener to really enjoy. This sublime sonic layering is takes on another dimension when paired with the music video which combines live footage with more candid moments, giving the visuals a cinematic and climactic feel, as though the song is sound-tracking the final moments of a heist or long-shot victory without overdoing it on the heartstrings which, instead, leaves the listener/viewer with a feeling of uplifting tranquillity and a sense of completion. A wonderful song and video that should pique your interest and entice you to listen to, and appreciate, the full album.
‘Never Let Me Go’ is out now (all social links below) and represents the latest collaborative work of “Swiss-born, Gotham-bred” (SPIN) indie-rocker Sam Koechlin, aka Sam Himself, with his long-time producer “Second Beatle” Daniel Schlett (Iggy Pop; The War on Drugs) and mastering engineer Greg Calbi (David Bowie; Bruce Springsteen), and features Chris Egan (Solange; Blood Orange) on drums and Josh “JD” Werner (Ghostface Killah; CocoRosie) on bass.
Pillar Artists 