Despite their name being the opposite, New York locals SAMSARA. have something Nirvana doesn’t: three guitarists and a living lead singer. The band, who have been together for about five years and got their start playing covers, have been gaining some attention online for tracks like “OUT OF SIGHT” and “IN TOO DEEP.” Before anyone asks, no, the latter is not a Sum 41 cover. Drawing inspiration from early Coldplay, U2, and Queens of the Stone Age, their sound combines intricate guitar riffs with surprisingly gentle vocals. Despite having started off playing grunge, they’ve since morphed into a band that oscillates between wider subgenres of rock. I’ve had my eye on this band for the past few months, and finally sat down with three out of five members to learn more about what they’re up to.

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The most important thing to know about SAMSARA. is that they thrive off of playing live. Their sonic inspirations draw on bands that pack a punch when they’re in front of a crowd, as I’m sure the thousands of people who recently saw Coldplay in Toronto could tell you. Drummer Ben Bustamante explains that “what inspired our sound are songs that really hit hard, and that have a feeling to [them] when playing live. If the song’s too bland, I think everybody’s going to be a little bored.” The band have been playing an intermittent series of shows around New York state, and despite it distracting them from working on new music, they’ve been enjoying life on the road. “I would consider us a live band, it’s what we’re really good at. Getting it out of our systems is good inspiration for new songs too,” says guitarist Charlie LoMonaco. Naturally, this affinity means spending a lot of time in close quarters. The band’s SUV, belonging to LoMonaco’s mom, can barely contain five grown men, let alone their gear (which includes a full drum kit) and merch. “If you ever were to hop in the car with SAMSARA. you don’t want to sit in the back. You can’t hear anything,” says Bustamante. LoMonaco adds that it’s bearable in some circumstances: “If you’re in a bad mood, though, the back’s where it’s at. I get moody and I’m always very grateful to just be there and on TikTok or something.” As many bands would tell you, it’s the price you have to pay to perform. Despite not being very aware of the DIY scene in their early days, the band have gone on to play some intimate and underground venues. “We played these house shows that were phenomenal. The Mudhouse was just a garage that was packed with all these Rutgers kids. I’ve never seen a crowd go harder in my entire life. They were destroying each other for our alt-rock band. A kid fell and hit his head on my pedalboard and turned on a reverb pedal. It was kind of awesome,” retells LoMonaco. Guitarist Brendan Sandhovel remembers his bandmate also becoming a victim of the show’s chaos. “I have a video of Ben crowdsurfing, and then you just see him fall because everyone dropped him.” For SAMSARA., it would seem that tragedy plus time equals comedy, as they laugh about the story now. I’d think that the ragtag nature of some of the shows is what makes them more exciting, and keeps the band motivated during their long, cramped drives. 

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The band’s escapades make their time spent working on music seem like a beach vacation. While the members were in college, their songwriting process shifted from an in-person collaboration to a series of sent files. “It was the easiest way of keeping the band moving,” admits Bustamante, “but it was very random at times. Sometimes we’d do nothing with the songs. I think we got too used to it, and we should get together more often.” Despite being best known for their more recent releases, SAMSARA. have a 2021 EP called PARALYZED IN PARADISE. This larger body of work came out of their inability to book a lot of shows in their early days, and served as a way to work out their sound. “We were just making music. Some of it is still kind of cool, but there were a lot of young kid songwriting mistakes that we made in there. We started ‘BY YOUR SIDE’ with an 8-bar guitar solo, which is my bad,” LoMonaco explains. However, the EP has served as a solid foundation for what SAMSARA. are doing now. Bustamante adds, “The way our songs were on that EP have definitely been put into the new songs we’ve written [in terms of] energy and feel, and that crazy power.” Though a lot of the old tracks have been retired from their live sets, they still hold a special place in the group’s hearts. “I kind of never got sick of that EP. I just think if we were to do it again today, it would sound a lot better,” Sandhovel says. Reviews from the band are mixed, falling somewhere between appreciation and mild disappointment with the outcome. Feeling aside, LoMonaco admits that “it [was] a really great learning experience on how it works to get into a studio, or how much rehearsing it takes to get it to the point where you’re confident, and things like that. It made us better as a band and better as songwriters, too.” This knowledge figures to help them as they record their more recent material and set them up for success with their upcoming project.

Despite the consistent shows, SAMSARA. do have new music in the works and aspirations for an album. Though the details are still being worked out, a few songs have been recorded. Despite the band’s plans to avoid the studio for the most part and do the heavy lifting themselves, Gordon Raphael has worked on recording “how do you say my name?” as well as some unreleased music with them. “[The album] is a thing we’re working on, it’s just not done. We have songs, some of them are recorded, some of them aren’t, and some are half-recorded,” explains LoMonaco. Two or three of the singles are going to be on the record once it’s done, including the aforementioned track and the more recent release “STREAMLINE.” Both these tracks exemplify the direction that the band’s sound is headed in. Bustamante says that "we've had plans for doing an album since last year, we just have to put our heads together and buckle down.” Even though the outcome is a little nebulous at the moment, their rise in popularity should help make it successful. On the experience of their music blowing up, Bustamante says “I think it’s super dope [to see] people pulling up [to shows] because they came across us. I’ve heard from a couple people where they’re like, ‘Your song really touches me to the heart.’ Then they’ll start asking about lyrics and I’m like, ‘I’m the drummer, you’re asking the wrong guy!’ But it’s so cool to hear.” They’ve clearly got the fanbase to back them up when the album does eventually get released. 

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From concert anecdotes to backseat torture chambers to digging up the bones of their EP, SAMSARA. have a vibrant history that’s exciting to delve into. As their run of shows winds down, fans should keep their eyes out for word of the new album in lieu of any more singles. When they do eventually buckle down, I’m sure that the results will be well worth the wait. 

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