Samia’s indie rock burns with a defiant energy. Over the past year, the 22-year-old songwriter has been dropping songs tangled in feminist anxieties and the confusion of growing up. And two weeks ago, she teamed up with Brooklyn’s Active Bird Community on the duet “Somewhere.” Today, we’re getting her newest single “Lasting Friend” along with its music video directed by Ruby Rose.

It’s a punchy, fuzzed-out tune doused with unapologetic honesty. She repeats the opening line, “I’m not ashamed of my past” over and over, not totally convinced of its truth. Each word becomes a confessional as she confronts her relationships with the boys of her youth. And in the chorus she calls them out by name. “I have this party anecdote about how the boys in middle school used to line up in the gym and touch my boobs,” Samia said via email. “It’s as funny as it is difficult for me to grapple with, because it’s how I learned to measure my worth. I made a lot of friends that way and it’s hard to unlearn that routine; we were all trying to make sense of the roles we were assigned.”

In the accompanying video, Samia digs a hole in the sand and finds a version of herself inside. She bashes herself with a shovel in between shots of boys goofing around in gym class. Watch and listen below and then check out Samia’s upcoming tour dates.

TOUR DATES:
02/07 Boston, MA @ The Button Factory
02/14 Chicago, IL @ Chop Shop *
02/15 St. Louis, MO @ The Ready Room *
02/17 Columbus, OH @ A&R Music Bar *
02/20 New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom *
02/21 Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s *
02/22 Boston, MA @ The Sinclair *
02/24 Washington, DC @ U Street Music Hall *
02/26 Charlotte, NC @ Neighborhood Theatre *
02/27 Atlanta, GA @ Aisle 5 *
02/28 Nashville, TN @ The Basement East *
03/11 – 03/15 Austin, TX @ SXSW (Specific Dates TBA)
03/16 Houston, TX @ HOB Peacock Room *
03/17 Oklahoma City, OK @ 89th Street *
03/18 Dallas, TX @ Club Dada *
03/20 Denver, CO @ Maruis Theater *
03/21 Salt Lake City, UT @ Soundwell *
03/23 Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theater *
03/24 Seattle WA @ Neumos *
03/26 San Francisco, CA @ The Independent *
03/29 LA, CA @ El Rey *
03/30 San Diego, CA @ The Casbah *
04/18 Indianapolis, IN @ Egyptian Room #
04/19 Columbia, MO @ The Blue Note #
04/20 Tulsa, OK @ Cain’s Ballroom #
04/22 Iowa City, IA @ The Blue Moose #
04/23 Peoria, IL @ Monarch Music Hall #
04/25 Omaha, NE @ Sokol #
04/26 Madison, WI @ Sylvee #
04/27 Grand Rapids, MI @ Intersection #
04/29 Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground #
04/30 Montreal, QC @ L’Astral #
05/01 Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Theater #
05/03 Clifton Park, NY @ Upstate Concert Hall #
05/04 Portland, ME @ State Theatre #
05/06 Cleveland OH @ House of Blues #
05/09 Norwalk, CT @Wall Street Theater (TENT) #
05/10 Providence, RI @ Fete #
* w/Donna Missal
# w/Hippo Campus

“Lasting Friend” is out now. Buy it here.

CREDIT: Aria Herbst