Sam Himself turns homesickness into movement on “Backstreets,” a radiant song filled with nostalgia and longing, yet carried by warmth, freedom, and the quiet strength to soldier on.
Stream: “Backstreets” – Sam Himself
‘Backstreets’ is about feeling at home in two places at once, but never fully belonging to either of them. I’m never not homesick, and I’m still learning to come to terms with that.
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The trouble with having more than one home is that you’re never fully anywhere at all: No matter where you are, part of you is always somewhere else.
It’s a feeling indie rock artist Sam Himself (aka Samuel Koechlin) knows all too well. Splitting his time between his native Switzerland and his adopted home of New York City, he exists in a state of perpetual yearning, transience, and impermanence. That restlessness fuels “Backstreets,” a song steeped in nostalgia and longing – yet carried by a warmth and freedom that make it feel more like an open road than a dead end.
On Final Avenue and First Street
Them corner boys used to kick my ass
I guess tonight I’ll get a pass
Sidewalk’s gone clean,
more green than concrete
The rest turned into steel and glass
All pretty strange to stranger’s eyes
Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering the Stefan Tschumi-directed music video for “Backstreets,” Sam Himself’s first song of the year. Following last October’s smoldering and seductive single “Dance With Me,” “Backstreets” finds the Swiss rocker in a state of intimate reflection – on his identity; on his perspective; and on his ‘place’ in the world – where he belongs.
If only we could truly be in two places at once, that might quell Koechlin’s restless aching. His lyrics relay the pain within: Old streets that don’t look the same; visions from a long-distant childhood flicker in and out of view, at the edge of memory; and everything he once knew is moving forward, without him there.
Then the rain starts beating
On the roof of my cab
No parade for me
On the backstreets of my
Backstreets of my past
Easy
Takes time
So take it easy
Give it time
Yet instead of sinking into sorrow, the song moves – expansive, rich, and deeply human. Its pulse is a kind of acceptance in and of itself. Sam Himself’s baritone drifts over swelling instrumentation, balancing wistfulness with a sense of quiet release.
For Koechlin, “Backstreets” was a defining moment in shaping the sound and scope of his next LP.
“This was the song off my new LP where my producer, Daniel Schlett, and I both felt like, now we know where this album is going,” Koechlin tells Atwood Magazine. “We [Daniel Schlett and I] travel a fair amount, so at the pre-production stage, we usually work remotely, sending song ideas back and forth. Many of those ideas evolve quite a bit during this process. Something might start as a ballad and end up a total barnburner (or not make the cut at all). In the case of ‘Backstreets,’ we knew from the jump that we were onto something; the range felt right, the tempo felt right… The final version of the song is actually pretty close to the original demo, structurally.”
“We started recording the song at The Outlier Inn in upstate New York, which is probably the most beautiful studio I’ve ever been lucky enough to use. You’re pretty far from the city up there, surrounded by nature, woods, ponds, goats, and chickens — a most bucolic setting, as it were. There’s something very grounding about stepping outside after a hundred hours of straight recording and realizing that the world – the day, the weather – has moved on without you.”
“Then, we finished the tune at Daniel’s Soundwork International Studios in the East Village of Manhattan, which had a completely different vibe but was equally inspiring. The contrast between those surroundings may be reflected in the song: ‘Backstreets’ is about feeling at home in two places at once, but never fully belonging to either of them.”
Down memory lane a voice comes roaring
Up by the gate stands my old man
Arms open wide and for a moment
All I know now is all I knew then
Like the back of his right hand
For Sam Himself, this dichotomy is not a one-off, but his lived, everyday experience.
“That’s what I often feel like as I split my time between Switzerland and the US,” he says. “I have a whole history and a ton of memories in both places, which is a beautiful thing. At the same time, I’m never not homesick, and I’m still learning to come to terms with that; if I don’t watch out, my tendency is to get, like, aggressively sentimental about all this stuff. Fortunately, that’s not the case with ‘Backstreets.’ The song feels very personal to me, yet it manages to take off without getting carried away.”
“Daniel’s production and engineering played a crucial role in striking that balance. He has a way of knowing what I mean and where I want to go sonically, sometimes before I do. Once we were done recording, he said to me, ‘I’m gonna make this sound majestic.’ I think he succeeded.”
Capturing both the solitude of upstate New York and the pulse of Manhattan, “Backstreets” mirrors a life split between worlds – between Switzerland and the United States, past and present, belonging and searching. And as the song gently reminds, “easy, takes time.” Maybe homesickness isn’t something to outrun, but something to carry with you.
And the rain’s still beating
On the roof of my cab
No parade for me
On the backstreets of my
Backstreets of my past
Easy
Takes time
So take it easy
Give it time
The “Backstreets” music video adds to the intimacy of Sam Himself’s songwriting, putting a spotlight directly on the artist and his band (and little else).
“The music video testifies to the importance I place on collaboration and authenticity in my work,” he explains. “Although my project is my own, I’ve come a long way from trying to do it all by myself. Whether I’m working with my producer, Daniel, my visual director, Stefan Tschumi, who shot the music video, or the world’s greatest living bass player, Josh Werner, my art is always the best for it.”
“The authenticity part has less to do with my noble character (although that’s definitely a factor) than with surrendering to reality: I always end up performing a version of myself, no matter the role I play or the costume I wear. That’s kind of my curse and my superpower.”
Watch the video for “Backstreets” below, and step into Sam Himself’s world – where nostalgia and freedom walk hand in hand.
And the rain keeps beating
On the roof of my cab
With the weight of defeat
And the truth comes to light
What a kick in the teeth
To be back here alive
Not for lack of trying
On the backstreets of my
Backstreets of my past
Easy
Takes time
So take it easy
Give it time
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