Alexisonfire have shared a new single, Sweet Dreams Of Otherness and announced their first full-length album in over 13 years Otherness. It is a pleasant surprise for fans of the band that Rolling Stone declared “put Canadian post-hardcore on the map”. Otherness will be released on June 24th via Dine Alone Records / Cooking Vinyl Australia. The video for Sweet Dreams Of Otherness was directed by the inimitable actor/director Jay Baruchel (Goon, This Is The End, Random Acts of Violence, How to Train Your Dragon).
Watch the video for Sweet Dreams Of Otherness.
Otherness is produced by Alexisonfire and mixed by punk stalwart Jonah Falco (Fucked Up, Career Suicide). Vocalist George Pettit shares a little info on how the song came together.
"This song was largely Dallas’ brain child but over the course of writing this record it became more of a mission statement for the band. It’s kind of about performance and embracing a new found confidence in a state of peculiarity."
The band also released a mission statement for the album stating
A continuous thread through the fabric of Alexisonfire is the state of otherness. Otherness drew us all to spaces where a band like this could be formed. We attract the type of individuals that have all felt the sensation of being strange or unique. Perceived or otherwise, otherness has followed us through childhood, adolescence, and into our adult lives. It drives our tastes and proclivities. It bonds us with ourselves and others. And make no mistake, even at our most domestic and mundane moments, we are true outliers."
Otherness is the band’s most cohesive and self-actualized record to date. For those who need a refresher, AOF released four hugely successful studio albums, all Music Canada Platinum-certified: Alexisonfire (2002), Watch Out (2004), Crisis (2006), and Old Crows / Young Cardinals (2009).
The mix of classic Alexisonfire and newfound textures of Sweet Dreams of Otherness became a roadmap for the rest of the record. Dallas Green’s engaging croon; the urgent attitude of Wade MacNeil; the heavy bellow of George Pettit; all anchored by a mix of vulnerability, confidence, iconoclasm, and celebratory recklessness. As every Alexisonfire song persistently expands and contracts, bassist Chris Steele and drummer Jordan Hastings remain impossibly tight, locked into unrelenting swinging grooves.
Alexisonfire produced Otherness themselves in roughly a week. They kept it a “family affair,” working closely with folks who’ve been with them for years. Writing took place at the Dine Alone Records clubhouse. The album includes organ, keys, and pedal steel from Green’s longtime collaborator Matt Kelly. Jill Zimmerman and Darren “Jeter” Magierowski (who is also Steele’s cousin) engineered, at Jukasa Recording Studios.
“The biggest difference is the space we are all in. We were all really thrilled to make a record, and it was such a respite from what was going on in the world. It felt like life could be beautiful,” MacNeil says. “We were supportive of one another. Everyone was in such a good mood. It was such a treat to be able to do it again.”
Alexisonfire - Otherness
01. Committed to the Con
02. Sweet Dreams of Otherness
03. Sans Soleil
04. Conditional Love
05. Blue Spade
06. Dark Night of the Soul
07. Mistaken Information
08. Survivor's Guilt
09. Reverse the Curse
10. World Stops Turning
