Few bands have experienced the kind of downturn in career fortunes that A Day To Remember have. It was only 2016 that had the band debuting at #2 on the Billboard 200 with their album Bad Vibrations. While perhaps not as venerated as their previous material, it still proved to be a success with a few fan favorite songs as well. Even if this was a peak moment for the veteran band, it’s still a substantial accomplishment no matter what might have happened next.
Then came You’re Welcome. Released on 2021 after several delays, it’s almost universally derided as ADTR’s worst (read: uninspired) material. Couple that fan resentment (lmao) and apathy with Josh Woodward’s host of allegations that surfaced, and now A Day To Remember can’t even post on Twitter without being ratioed to hell and back. So naturally, they haven’t posted on the platform in years.
One look at the reactions from ADTR fans, though, and it’s pretty clear the “Feedback” they intended isn’t likely what they wanted to hear. In fact, it’s almost uniformly negative in a way that befell songs like Suicide Silence’s “Doris”, for a recent example.
The song itself isn’t particularly bad or good, save for an annoying effect on Jeremy McKinnon’s voice. That sort of indifference might actually be worse, though. There’s comparisons to Nickelback (ironic since the latter have written some solid material lately) and bro-rock made for the radio, which aren’t unfounded.
The biggest issue might be the fact that heavy (whatever your definition of that is) music is pretty popular again. Sleep Token, Knocked Loose, Bring Me The Horizon, Spiritbox, The Plot In You, and plenty more are experiencing success while still offering fans something they are (usually) excited about. Meanwhile, ADTR’s new material has been greeted by a plethora of apathy and indifference, and when you consider how big their fanbase is, the fact is that they’ve strayed too far from their roots and a style they’re not particularly good at. At least one that doesn’t resonate with much of their fanbase at all.
Whether it was the move to Fueled By Ramen or a complete identity crisis as far as writing music that connected with their fanbase, something is particularly wrong in the ADTR camp. Only time will tell if they’ll experience a course correction.
