The Berkeley punk band Samiam got together back in 1988, played a huge role on the Gilman Street scene, and figured out a distinctive take on their genre. Samiam’s sound was burly but vulnerable, and it didn’t sacrifice speed for melody. Over the years, a whole lot of bands have taken a whole lot of inspiration from Samiam; you can hear echoes of their sound on entire generations of emo, melodic hardcore, and beardy punk. Samiam never broke up, but they’ve been through tons of lineup changes, and they go through long periods of inactivity. Today, they’re back with their first new song in a decade.