The summer of 2009 seems so long ago, but in actuality, it was pretty incredible for me. I went to Warped Tour for the 6th year in a row, made new friends, went on dates, and probably discovered more music that summer than ever before. I can thank last.fm as much as recommendations from friends at the time. Having been a big fan of Parkway Drive, Karnivool, and other like-minded Aussie bands, I decided to listen to The Amity Affliction’s new (at the time) album, 2008’s Severed Ties. At the time, the band didn’t stick out to me too much (other than standout song “Poison Pen Letters”, but for some reason, I kept coming back to the album. For a while, it didn’t leave me iPod at all. Much the same with 2010’s Youngbloods, which continued the evolution of the band’s sound, while remaining likely a career high point (at least thus far). How did they follow it up?
With 2012’s Chasing Ghosts – an album that may not be quite as good as Youngbloods musically, but is arguably better lyrically. At the time of its release, I was sincerely questioning my ultimate place on this planet and my reasons for living, Not to say that Chasing Ghosts necessarily “saved my life” or anything like that, but for a 6 month span, it was my most listened to album. Lyrically, it got me through a lot of rough times, and I imagine that other fans of the band have similar stories (having interviewed the band a few years ago at Warped Tour, I can confirm this).
It’s hard to believe it’s already been 4 years since the album was even released. It still remains as impactful now as it did upon first release. Stream the album below, and revisit it if it’s been a while, or possibly even your first time. It’s some top-tier post-hardcore, that’s for certain. I still maintain that “Flowerbomb” is the best track the band has ever written.
