In 2018, the Australian powerhouse known as The Amity Affliction released a record called Misery that was the most experimental thing they have released. Gone were the pounding breakdowns and emotional screaming fans have come to know the band for, being replaced with synths, pop hooks, and minimal screaming.
While there were mixed feelings on Misery, The Amity Affliction have released their new record, Everyone Loves You…Once You Leave Them, which bridges their traditional sound and the new flavors from the previous release. Breakdowns: Check, Screaming: Check, Synths: Check, Pop Hooks: Check. This record seems to be the quintessential album for their discography, showcasing everything they excel in. We got to chat with guitarist Dan Brown and frontman Joel Birch about the new record.
Interview
1.Thank you for talking to us today, get us up to speed with how you guys have been and everything over the last year making this record?
We’ve been great, super busy! We have a new full-time drummer now (Joe), Ahren moved to Toronto, we have a new label (Pure Noise), we’ve toured all over the globe, recorded our new album in Baltimore and now we start the big crazy album cycle all over again. We wouldn’t have it any other way though haha.
2.’Misery’ was one of our favorite records in 2018, and one of our favorites you guys have done. Making a pop/rock-leaning record can cause some fans to be dissatisfied though, how did you guys handle that and between cycles, did that influence this new one any?
It absolutely influenced our new album. We feel a sense of responsibility to our fan base to remain somewhat in the vein of what it means to be “TAA”. We’ll always write music that we personally feel is genuine and it’s a bonus if other people like that too.
3. Something I’ve personally noticed with bands and some of these recent releases is long album names are making a comeback, reminds me of the mid-00s. What does this album name mean to the band?
We’ve always had long album names for some reason, misery aside. ELYOYLT to me – means exactly what it sounds like. When you die, everyone only has good memories of you and the bad ones wash away.
4. What things influenced this record from a lyric standpoint and also musically to be much heavier than ‘Misery’?
Joel Birch– Lyrically I tried writing for our listeners, and while it was good at the time, and I felt positive about giving people hope at the end of each song, I decided that it was a little disingenuous and so I returned to writing explicitly for myself. I believe people have that same connection with the lyrics just knowing that I am also suffering under the burden of mental illness. It’s not easy, but music helps, my friends in the band and management help, and of course, my wife does the heavy lifting.
Musically we just enjoyed writing heavier songs again but also combined a few of the things we did on Misery. To us, it’s a great blend of old and new sounds while evolving at the same time.
5. The fan reaction to the singles has been positive and I bet they will love the record as well, are there any surprises or Easter eggs that the diehards may find in the record?
For sure! But I won’t ruin all of them for you. There’s a familiar bell sound in “Catatonia” though that we sampled from “I Bring The Weather With Me.”
6. Australia is somewhere I’ve always wanted to go and it was sad watching the fires that happened on the news. Is there any non-profit or group you guys support that fans could as well to help relief?
There are plenty, but make sure you do your research before you choose to donate. Unfortunately, there’s a lot of scams and sketchy politics that get in the way. We did a charity show and donated the proceeds to WIRES and other worthy causes.
If you haven’t listened yet, you can stream the record below
Tour Dates w/ Sleeping With Sirens:
