Filled with moments of relentless energy throwing back to their punk and hardcore roots to visionary moments of modern heavy, ‘Misery Made Me’ fastens Silverstein’s status as torchbearers of the scene on all fronts. It’s both intriguing and inspiring that a band – who could have merely rested on the impressive legacy they’ve already cemented – would continue to dig deep and find the inspiration to reach people in meaningful new ways.
Few bands on their 22nd lap around the scene could claim to be in “just getting started” mode as much as punk stalwarts Silverstein. On ‘Misery Made Me’, they find themselves springboarding off the heights they’ve reached over the past handful of years.
“For the first time in our career, we truly put it all out there. We went into this with no rules and no preconceived notions of what Silverstein is or what it could be. The results are bold. We somehow wrote the heaviest, saddest, catchiest, and most emotional songs in 22 years of being a band … all on the same album”, reveals vocalist Shane Told.
“I wanted to explore the meaning of ‘Misery’ as a main theme throughout the album”, says Told. “Despite the mountains climbed and boulders pushed during recent years, we were confronted by the weight and misery of staying relatively in the same place for a long period of time. Finding peace in the reality of this misery became important. The record is about the acceptance of a new reality and adapting to it.”
Ultimately, ‘Misery Made Me’ finds the band trying to navigate the ever-worsening challenges of our modern world – angst, doomscrolling, and disassociation. It’s a record that is a product of the moment in time in which it was created yet doesn’t feel like it will date itself anytime soon, as many of its topics of loneliness, anxiety and isolation are eternal human struggles.
Exemplified by the anthemic opener ‘Our Song,’ ‘Misery Made Me’ is part acceptance of the band’s personal miseries and a part declaration that they will not be buried by them. At the back end of the record lies ‘Live Like This’ (feat. nothing,nowhere.) and arguably its most bleak and haunting lyric: “I don’t want to die, but I can’t live like this”. Singles ‘It’s Over’ and ‘Ultraviolet’ dive deeper into this feeling of desperation, describing the utter helplessness of losing control to anxiety.
‘Misery Made Me’ is a campaign hinged on Silverstein’s reflection and gratitude for their roots, their honoring of their earliest fans, and their staunch desire to explore forward-thinking and adventurous ways to connect with new ones.
‘Misery Made Me’ sees its release via UNFD on CD, vinyl, and digital formats on May 6th. It was produced by Sam Guaiana (A Beautiful Place To Drown and both Redux) at Jukasa Studios in rural Ontario, Canada, and features guests Andrew Neufeld of Comeback Kid on ‘Die Alone,’ singer/songwriter Trevor Daniel on ‘Cold Blood,’ Devil Wears Prada’s Mike Hranica on ‘Slow Motion’ and nothing,nowhere. on ‘Live Like This.’
‘Misery Made Me’ tracklist:
01. Our Song
02. Die Alone (feat. Andrew Neufeld)
03. Ultraviolet
04. Cold Blood (feat. Trevor Daniel)
05. It’s Over
06. The Altar / Mary
07. Slow Motion (feat. Mike Hranica)
08. Don’t Wait Up
09. Bankrupt
10. Live Like This (feat. nothing, nowhere.)
11. Misery