Bad Copy

Today, we’re excited to premiere a new music video from Samuel S.C. Emerging in the early 1990s in State College, PA, Samuel cut its teeth as a punk rock band that relentlessly toured the legendary DIY hardcore and punk circuit, sharing stages with contemporaries like Avail, The Promise Ring, Chamberlain, Grain, and Kerosene 454, among many others. Formed from the ashes of Downing’s previous project, Junction, Samuel became the flagship band for drummer Eric Astor’s label, Art Monk Construction, which went on to release some of the most revered 7-inch records of the era.

Samuel’s untimely breakup in 1995 meant their run was short, but their impact stuck. The band earned a lasting reputation through powerful live shows and hook-filled 7-inch releases that never quite fit into any one punk subgenre. At the same time, singer Downing stood out as a young, openly queer woman during the era of the riot grrrl movement, inspiring women, girls, and LGBTQ youth across the DIY, hardcore, and punk scenes.

Reforming in 2021 as Samuel S.C., the band reunited with its friendships and chemistry fully intact. The added “S.C.” signals a fresh start while still honoring their roots. A lineup shift brought in Michael Honch (Continuals, Alarms & Controls) on bass, adding a new perspective to Samuel’s ’90s material and opening the door to new songwriting. Today, the band is firmly focused on the present—sidestepping the trap of nostalgia and carving out space as a vital, relevant force in contemporary punk music.

The latest cycle in SSC’s lifespan includes the fiery two-song “Exit Scene 7” on Landland Colportage, released in 2024, and a split 10” with Pohgoh on New Granada Records in 2025. And now, the band has announced the release of their next LP with an expected release later this year via Expert Work Records and Sweet Cheetah Records. The song that we’re premiering today, “Another Good Lie,” is the first single off the new release.

Vanessa Downing shared the following about the new release:

“With melody and melancholy colliding so beautifully in the music of this song, I wanted the lyrics to mirror the driving emotional force of the instrumentation. ‘Another Good Lie’ is one my most directly personal works, calling upon the pain and poignancy of my early adolescence, and my journey as a young queer woman full of yearning and hope in the ’80s and ’90s.

“Ultimately the song isn’t about being young or queer so much as it is about the universal afflictions of insecurity, isolation and the inevitable unraveling of truths that only time can bring – regardless of one’s age.”

Check out the music video for “Another Good Lie” below and catch Samuel S.C. along with their pals from Tampa, FL’s Pohgoh as they tour the Midwest over the next week!

Tour Dates