The Amity Affliction's 'Everyone Loves You... Once You Leave Them': An Honest Look Into Real Life Issues
Australian metalcore staples The Amity Affliction will be releasing their seventh studio album Everyone Loves You… Once You Leave Them this Friday, February 21st through Pure Noise Records. Lucky for us, we were able to review the album ahead of release day and talk with Joel Birch (lead vocalist) and Ahren Stringer (bassist and vocalist) about the new record, among other things.
Where does the name of the new album stem from?
“I have bipolar II, so it’s just the ongoing expression of what I am dealing with day to day. I mostly write my lyrics when we’re away on tour, and a lot of the time the strain it takes on my mental health to be away from family and home is immense.
I lost a friend two years ago to suicide, and I had a really bad taste in my mouth about it because I saw a lot of people come out of the woodwork and profess their love for him when they either weren’t on good terms, or they barely knew him. That, coupled with my distaste for the public discourse around people suffering from any form of mental illness, but also having a successful career, really pissed me off.
People think that if you’re successful all your woes go away, I don’t know how many ultra-famous people killing themselves it’s going to take for them to change their fucking tune, but it’s frustrating hearing people tell me I can’t be suffering because the band I’m in is successful, hence the sentiment. A good number of them would become online-empaths if the day comes where I check out.”
Everyone Loves You… Once You Leave Them opens with an impressive nod to their heavy roots with “Coffin” and “All My Friends Are Dead”. The Amity Affliction come out absolutely swinging with “Coffin”, setting the bar extremely high with its chuggy instrumentation and the lowest growls ever put forth by Joel Birch. It is an unexpected, flurry of melodic brutality that sets the tone for the entire album and leads perfectly into the ferocity that is “All My Friends Are Dead”.
“All My Friends Are Dead” was the first single released after their signing to Pure Noise Records. It’s a fast-paced, circle pit-inducing metalcore anthem that is perfectly balanced by the harmonious chorus delivered by Ahren Stringer. This song is the summation of everything fans love about this band; instrumental intensity and catchy melodies.
After hearing just the first two songs on the record, it was clear you were embracing the heavier elements found on previous efforts. Did you have this intention going into the record, or did it just come out that way?
“We’ve always tried to keep it fresh and interesting for us, and in turn, the fans. We get bored writing the same old stuff and I think it’s imperative for bands to try new things or it really does get boring and predictable for everyone. At the end of the day you can never ever please everyone, so we always try to make the majority happy whilst never compromising what we as artists want to try or pursue.”
While The Amity Affliction embrace their roots on the opening sequence of the album, elsewhere the band retains the ambient electronic influences explored extensively on Misery, particularly on “Aloneliness” and “Just Like Me”. Both tracks portray The Amity Affliction at their most vulnerable and accessible, as there is a great deal of emotional turmoil that unfolds in the lyrical content, symbolizing what feels like an extremely cathartic experience.
How did signing with Pure Noise Records come to be? They've been picking up some big names as of late, did this play into your decision?
“Not at all! We are coming out of a long term deal that we weren’t happy with and it wasn’t going to change. Although we loved many of the team we worked with there, you’re still stuck in the major label system, which can suck! Going back to an independently owned and operated label was the key for us. Jake and his team at Pure Noise are designing their deals to be beneficial to all parties. They’re all great people and are amazing to work with. We couldn’t be happier!”
Bringing back some of the heavier elements found earlier on the record, two standout tracks are “Forever” and “Born To Lose”. Lyrically, “Forever” delves into the struggles of dealing with being bipolar, which is a major influence found throughout the entirety of the record. Sonically, “Forever” embodies much of the album in that it is a balancing act between passionate cleans and strained, sorrow-filled screams, which in itself captures the struggles of the lyrical content.
With its glitchy, hard-hitting introduction, The Amity Affliction merge the old and new influences on “Born To Lose”. Dripping in Joel’s distorted screams and capped-off with a pre-breakdown blast-beat, this is sure to be a fan favorite come Friday.
It's no surprise that many of the songs on the new album deal with topics surrounding mental health. Do you feel it's your duty as a band with a platform to bring attention to these issues, or does it just come from personal experience?
“I used to write specifically for other people and so had a certain story arc that would happen within the songs, but I have moved away from that in the last 4-5 years, as for me it has returned to being primarily an outlet for my own problems. With the band featuring as such a cathartic piece of my life, it’s not actually difficult for me to write about my mental health, it has become necessary.
It’s a way of practicing self-care, to let out everything that otherwise remains quietly lodged inside. I’m glad people have been able to relate to the songs, that’s super important to me, but I feel like the biggest role and most positive role that we fill is to communicate to others that they’re not alone in their experiences.”
Taking a turn towards the darker themes, “Fever Dream” and “Catatonia” round out the album by addressing topics such as suicide and death. With some of the darkest lyrics on the record, “Fever Dream” also contains the most sonically grand chorus on the album. Playing into the massive nature of this song, guitarist Dan Brown flexes his instrumental muscle with a well-suited solo.
Being the third single released in anticipation of the record, “Catatonia” is a crushing, rage-filled song that brings this emotional album to a triumphant close. Trailing off at the end, it leads right back into the introduction on “Coffin”, lending a great deal of replayability to this record.
You will be touring across Europe with Beartooth and then across North America with Sleeping With Sirens, can fans expect to hear some of the new songs at these shows? Any songs in particular that you're looking forward to playing live?
“YES! We will play as many as we can while still playing the old “hits”. We’ve been playing a couple in Australia on the tour we just finished, and “Soak Me In Bleach” is already a favorite to play! ”
Everyone Loves You… One You Leave Them is an honest look into the struggles of real people dealing with real issues. The Amity Affliction exemplify the tortuous balance between joy and turmoil perfectly with their intense, yet beautiful display of instrumental and lyrical abilities.
Over their 17-year career, The Amity Affliction have established themselves at the forefront of Australian metalcore. Bringing together several influences found on previous efforts, Everyone Loves You… Once You Leave Them is an impressive addition to the bands discography.
The Amity Affliction are currently supporting Beartooth on their EU/UK Disease Tour and will be joining Sleeping With Sirens on a co-headlining North American tour from April 15th through May 29th. They are sure to be playing some of the new tracks live, so grab your tickets before they sell out!