Samiam Return With First New Album In 12 Years “Stowaway”

Samiam wouldn’t be the same without a little bit of chaos. Over their three decades together, the Oakland, CA outfit have specialised in energetic hard luck songs that are as hooky as they are relatable, so perhaps it’s fitting that the creation of Stowaway, the band’s first new album in twelve years and their ninth full-length overall, wasn’t the easiest. But there are very few bands better at capturing the feeling of stumbling only to get up again, and on Stowaway, Samiam prove exactly why they remain one of the most endearing and enduring punk bands of their generation. 

Forming in 1988, Samiam, whose current lineup includes longtime members Jason Beebout (vocals), Sean Kennerly (guitar) and Sergie Loobkoff (guitar) as well as newer additions Colin Brooks (drums) and Chad Darby (bass), grew out of the DIY punk scene of 924 Gilman Street, experienced the major label alt rock feeding frenzy firsthand in the 1990s, and eventually slowed down in the 2000s. After the release of 2011’s Trips, the band didn’t quite break up and they continued to sporadically play shows, but the demands of life, not to mention all the members living in different parts of the country, put their songwriting process on quasi-hiatus. The years ticked by and it began to seem like there wouldn’t be new Samiam material, but it wasn’t for lack of trying.

After joining up with Pure Noise Records, the band began to get more serious about polishing their material, booking time at Billie Joe Armstrong’s Otis Studio in Oakland and beginning to hammer out the initial recordings in February 2020. A month later the pandemic turned the world upside down, and like everyone, Samiam’s plans were once again on hold. Stowaway isn’t about recapturing the past: the album is informed by the accumulation of experiences, both good and bad, that comes from living full lives, especially if over 30 of those years were spent as working musicians.