Oh Hiya! Samiam are back, and with it, a lesson to the generation of punk that followed them has been delivered – the wording of which is something like “you’re definitely not ever going to be as good as Samiam“.
‘Trips’ isn’t the band’s most urgent record and likely not quite their best, but it’s another of the stunning run of Hopeless Records releases this year that adds to that lovely stack of punk in 2011 that isn’t shallow and trite rubbish… which is always nice.
The general pace and lyrics content make ‘Trips’ feel like a “grown up” record, but for all the reflective moments it’s equally upbeat and positive, and carries a whole set of reasons not to miss the band when they’re playing nearby.
If you’re at all familiar, then you’re unlikely to be let down, and though the band have been criminally underrated compared to peers that namecheck them as personal favourites, people who’ve come into the gruff side of punk in recent years also have very few reasons to stay away.
As for standout tracks, ‘How Would You Know’ and ‘Crew Of One’ shine through initially, but there’s absolutely no reason not to invest a bit of time in the entire record. ‘Trips’ spins off a little towards the tail end and whether it has the muscle to win over the unconverted remains to be seen, but who gives a fuck really? Samiam are brilliant.