Around October 2014 or so, I had discovered a hardcore band from Australia called “The Amity Affliction.” Now, most people I know don’t prefer this genre of music, and the few I know that do, have heard of them. For me, Amity is one of those bands I can listen to at any point of the day, no matter my mood, where I know the songs from beginning to end.
According to an interview that one of the vocalists, Joel Birch, did with City Beach (you can watch here), the other vocalist, Ahren Stringer, is to thank for the naming of the band. A close friend of the band had passed away in a car accident – thus the word ‘Amity,’ referring to the friendship, and ‘Affliction’ referring to the pain that was brought on by the loss and how it influenced each band member. This was one of the biggest details that stuck with me, because I had begun to listen to them after losing my cousin in a car accident. Amity’s lyrics had meant so much to me to begin with that when I’d watched this interview with Joel, the band began to hold more and more of a special place in my heart.
I began to read and watch more interviews with the band as time went on and learned that while the lyrics centered themselves on the feelings brought on by the loss of their friend, they also told a story through Birch’s eyes on his battle with depression and alcoholism. The band’s album Youngbloods came after a suicide attempt by Birch while Let The Ocean Take Me followed a near-death experience that Birch had during the 2013 Vans Warped Tour (read here). On their next album, This Could Be Heartbreak, which will be released August 12, 2016, it has been stated by Birch that this is one of the band’s darkest albums yet. The album creates a visual story for the listener about a man and his battle with alcoholism and depression which is demonstrated through straight forward lyrics written by Birch. On the band’s website, there’s a quote from Birch stating “It’s how I like to write and how I like to be, and I’ve always thought there’s no point doing music if it’s not either saying something that’s going to help people or going to be a really personal, cathartic experience.” (read here) Birch has spoken out in the past about the impact that his lyrics have had on his fans using Don’t Lean on Me, a song featured on LTOTM, explaining that he cannot be the one to lean on when fans struggle because of the hardships he goes through himself. (read here) As a fan, I love seeing when band members use their own music as an outlet not only for their creativity but for the things that sit on the inside and putting an honest twist on it. With This Could Be Heartbreak, Birch uses the creation of the album as a cathartic platform and hopes that listeners to the same as they enjoy it stating “I think it’s good for people to realize that someone they look up to is going through the same shit they are, at the end of the day. I’m not removed from them, I’m prone to the exact same problems they have and experience the same gamut of emotion. None of us are alone in this.” (read here)
With that said, I present 10 of my favorite Amity songs for you to enjoy before the release of their new album:
1. "Flowerbomb"
“So on to the ocean and into the sea, so balanced and calm now, that's where I will be/So on to the ocean and into the sea wash away all my problems wash away memories.”
Flowerbomb is one of my all-time favorite Amity songs out of every album of theirs. I can remember sitting in the hospital with my mom and having this song on repeat and focusing to every single line, letting it calm me down during a time that I felt lost.
2. "Born to Die"
“Don't make me sad, don't make me cry/Sometimes love is not enough and the road gets tough”
Amity covered Lana Del Rey’s Born to Die in such a fashion that makes me toss between both songs, wondering which one I enjoy the most. Lana has such a beautiful, eloquent voice and the music video for her song had such a dark and romantic twist that made me fall in love. While Amity’s cover showed me how a different take can still be just as good, not to mention the Stringer and Birch are both big fans of Lana too.
3. "Don’t Lean On Me"
“Well don't lean on me 'cause I am falling, please don't fall with me/I really need you here, yeah I need you so don't leave/And don't count on me 'cause I am drowning, please don't drown with me/Just hold me in your heart, let the ocean take me.”
DLOM is another favorite of mine because of Birch’s message behind the song on how he is going through much of the same thing and wants to be there for fans but cannot. In the article with news.com.au, Birch mentioned that he tends to notice scars on fan’s wrists and it sits with him so much to a point that he misses lines while performing (here).
4. "Give It All"
“And though I'm glad to help you out, and get your feet back on the ground/please understand I'm just a man - you understand? I'm just a man/And I feel helpless when I stumble, and my anxiety escapes”
Give It All is another one of my favorites alongside Flowerbomb. It’s a song I’ve been known to have on repeat when things are going on.
5. "Skeletons"
“Was there a sign I didn't read?/Or was I lying to myself?/Holding fast to every skeleton I've got there on the shelf/I just tried to make them drown/Drown every skeleton around”
"Skeletons" is a great song that demonstrates a message about someone that is trying to get better with everything that they have but can still come up short from time to time. Not to mention, I love the style behind the music video and the slow motion clips that are paired with the rapid sound from the song.
6. "I Heart Roberts’'
“And we'll never be right till we read our wrongs/and we'll never be done with these same old songs,
so wake up we'll wait for you again”
As much as Severed Ties isn’t ultimately my favorite album lyrically, I have to say the album holds a place in my heart. I Heart Roberts’ contains an audio clip from one of my favorite movies, Hot Rod, and the scene where Denise is being introduced to the crew and they argue over who “likes to party.” "Do You Party?" (another song on Severed Ties) references this scene and movie again just in the song title.
7. "Stairway to Hell"
“And my pen just won't run dry/but my eyes they won't stop burning/and yet you still have no reply.”
This is another song off of Severed Ties that contains a Hot Rod reference. The audio clip from the movie is from a scene where the main character, Rod, speaks to his ill stepfather and asks him not to die so that he can continue on with his wish to earn his stepfather’s respect.
8. "Life Underground"
“Is this really what I wished for/When I felt my feet drag heavy on the earth?/Is this really the answer I sought when I was searching for self worth?/Go now precious whispers, float my sorrows into the sea”
"Life Underground" is a great song lyrically because it reflects how someone might be struggling with their will to live and can see that they feel selfish for what they’ve thought or believed and that sometimes in our minds the bad outweighs the good.
9. "Anchors"
“Will you hear nothing I say/As the tide just sweeps and sways/As the anchors that bind me/Just rust and decay/As I tear my flesh from bone/As I scream out to the sky/When will I find my way home?”
I think "Anchors" is such a great song, especially with the lines I’ve chosen above, because it’s a demonstration of someone that kind of gets that nobody can really save you but yourself. That sometimes you might reach out to someone and they aren’t understanding how you feel or they might not be equipped to help in certain situations when all you want to do is be free of anchors that tie you down.
10. "Shine On"
“Shine on young love/We'll burn these fires bright/lets blaze our past into the night/Because it's been too long/and we have been too down/so now it's sink or swim/and we're too strong to drown”
One of the more upbeat songs I think that Amity has, and one of their most recent singles, the video contains a powerful love story between two kids that have grown up together and in the lyrics you see that it’s a message where two people are struggling and they put this to good use to strengthen the relationship that they have.
Be sure to check out The Amity Affliction’s new album, This Could Be Heartbreak, on August 12!
