For ‘Golden Days’, Sam Himself reunited with his longtime producer and “Second Beatle”, Daniel Schlett (Iggy Pop; The War on Drugs), whose category-defying mix was mastered by none other than Greg Calbi (David Bowie; Bruce Springsteen). Sam’s musical “big brother” and studio collaborator of many years, bass player JD Werner (Ghostface Killah; Lee “Scratch” Perry), added to the musical composition, making it the first Sam Himself track co-authored by another artist – and an unbridled celebration of musical community to boot. Drummer Chris Egan (Blood Orange; !!!) did his part to blow the roof off the party, which was recorded at producer Schlett’s Strange Weather Studio in Brooklyn, Sam’s creative homebase since the inception of his solo project.
The artist’s new material, by contrast, brims with renewed hope and the promise of a reopening world, where it’s once again possible to record and perform together. At the studio, Sam & Co. marked the occasion by recording the bulk of ‘Golden Days’ live in one room; the song’s music video is decidedly less subtle in its excitement. In keeping with the beautifully weird aesthetic that has come to define Sam’s visual language, the video pays tribute to heroically cringy Country Western TV specials of yore, frequent stomping grounds for such greats as Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson and many more of Sam’s heroes.
