Samiam
Astray

Listening to "Don't Break Me" this afternoon at home while watching the sunset from the window is perhaps more reassuring but less enjoyable because it hurts less. You savor it, but it doesn't risk destroying you inside as it would have in other times. And in the end, it's better this way since new troubles are always on the day's menu.

Everyone is tearing their hair out over PUP, yet it naturally comes to mind that the same things, without much fuss, were already being done twenty years ago, and even better, by Samiam.

The Californian band, despite significant sound changes over more than two decades, has always been an entity with easily recognizable distinctive traits.

"Astray," the second album for Burning Heart, can be considered the older brother of "You're Freaking Me Out." The harsh and tough tones of "Billy" can be found in Jason's vocal rises and falls that occasionally come out suddenly, but this time with a production that has become increasingly refined over the years.

Imagine Guy Picciotto taking the helm of a pop-punk group, replacing Washington D.C. with Berkeley, and with a fair amount of approximation, you'll come across Samiam.

"Sunshine" goes straight into the collector of bests from the Californian band. It has a tune that easily sticks in your head, a carefree vibe, if it weren't for the lyrics.
The band's versatility is perceived by the subsequent and dark "Wisconsin," with its powerful brusque accelerations, and by "Paraffin," which brings to the scene a certain emotional alternative rock of which Husker Du were flag bearers two decades earlier. Among similar tracks that Spotify suggests, "For Want Of" by Rites of Spring immediately stands out as the first track. And it's not even a random comparison.

Hearing Jason's voice first whispered, then rising in tone, and finally exploding in an emotional storm is always a pleasure—try it to believe with "How Long We." And the list of bests doesn't stop with "Dull" or "Mud Hill," for which a promotional video was made showing a reflective and detached Jason in a venue amidst festively kissing couples.
The repertoire always maintains high levels, thanks also to the excellent Jason who delivers strong emotions to those who listen, supported by the rest of the band.

Clear evidence demonstrating that we are not just dealing with a rowdy album to blast on the car stereo during the hot season. In fact, it makes you more inclined to run and shout to the world rather than take a dip in the water.

If you want a good hybrid between more visceral sounds sprinkled over a base of sweet Spanish-punk, "Astray" is a wonderful collection of stickers.
Now pull out your photo collection on Google Drive, browse through your youthful memories with Samiam in the background, and enjoy.