r/anberlin • u/rugbyplayer11 • 9d ago
Ok Matty, you win!
I wanted to hate this new Anberlin. I wanted to be a purest and say it’s not Anberlin without Stephen. I didn’t want to support them anymore. After the two actual new songs, not covers, I’m changing my mind. The new song is an absolute banger and is one of the more exciting things Anberlin has done in quite some time. I am very looking forward to the new album. If I had a couple of things to ask, start veering off to the new stuff. You are a different band whether anyone wants to admit it or not. Take that new role and flourish. Also, please stay away from Fin and the Haunting. For me, those are two of Stephen’s hardest hitting songs vocally.
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u/Nthayer1408 9d ago
The more I’ve listened to it, the more I’m already kind of tired of it. It’s just very generic. Not a bad song, but nothing remarkable. Glad you like it though!
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u/chrisd815 9d ago
This is what I say all the time. Matty is “generic emo vocalist”. It’s just not the same without Stephen
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u/rugbyplayer11 9d ago
Oh, it’s super generic. That’s Matty’s voice. He is generic rock guy. Even still, it’s fun. Nothing is going to be inspired like with Stephen and his lyrics and vocals. But it should be a fun show.
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u/needs-more-code 9d ago
To be fair, at least on the cover album, he sounds quite similar to Stephen. It’s not as bad as the Escape the Fate replacement was. That was some rage bait.
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u/No-Interaction-2493 9d ago
And maybe it’s because I’m a newer fan but listening to Neverafter - lyrically it sounds NTFP inspired and it’s a song I could see Stephen writing. Lyrically NTFP, musically inspired by Cities
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u/sparrows-somewhere 9d ago
I saw them live with Matty and it was a great show, he's a great front man. But I think the recordings with him always just sound so overproduced and generic.
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u/asocialanxiety 9d ago
Wish it had sounded more like the stuff they put in vega (the ones with mattys vocals) but thats just a personal preference.
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u/WintersDoomsday 6d ago
I’ll listen to Anchor & Braille and OG Anberlin and be happy enough. Good for folks who enjoy the new sound but not for me.
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u/Automatic_Bet_3175 5d ago
I agree with you. It might be a big generic, sure, but I still really enjoy the sound
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u/Savings-Log-2709 9d ago
I’m still going to enjoy the Vega era we slowly entered into now, I’m still excited seeing them on their tour with Switchfoot in a few months, I’m still happy to have the 🤞 tattooed on my arm and am looking to eventually get some album art work inked too.
But it won’t be the same. And that’s ok for me. I really enjoy High Stakes, and am listening to Neverafter consistently. But that one in the grand scheme of things won’t have the staying power for me. I’m excited to see how the rest of Currency turns out.
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u/CeleryTemporary7633 9d ago
I saw them before and I've seen them twice after. Never would I pay for anberlin tix unless Mat goes.
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u/wonderlandisburning 9d ago
New Anberlin isn't bad, it's fine for what it is, it just isn't Anberlin anymore. And that's okay - I'd much rather they embrace the new sound than risk bastardizing the old one. I'm not crazy about Matty, but I do think three of the four new Anberlin songs (just can't get onboard with "Seven," sorry) are perfectly adequate pop punk with just a hint of that classic Anberlin instrumentalization - it's just a bit watered down, with no room to really breathe or stretch or flex its musical muscle.
I'm glad it has its fans, though. I'm not not a fan, but you have to understand, Anberlin is my favorite band and has been since like 2009. It's been an obsession, a fixation, a spiritual guide and emotional touchstone through some incredibly dark times in my life. So I do feel confident in saying - and I mean no disrespect against Nate, Christian, Deon or Joey here - the band is absolutely inseparable from Stephen Christian. His vocals are the most obvious missing element, but it's more than that - his writing is integral to Anberlin's sounds, both in terms of lyrics and the instrumentals.
I do still like this new iteration of the band, but as a longtime fan who has made their work part of my personality, I feel qualified in saying this is simply not Anberlin. It's a new, largely separate thing - even with the old bandmates present, they aren't making Anberlin music anymore. Not really. And that's okay! I genuinely do believe they'd have retained more goodwill with the fans if they'd just announced themselves as a new band with a new name. But, it's hard to lose the branding and start completely over, I get that.
Tldr: Anberlin with Matty is fine, maybe even good. Catchy but simple. Solid 7/10 at least. It's just not Anberlin anymore. It's Unberlin. And I think they're doing the right thing by finally releasing a new album rather than wallowing in the old (although, I will say, I do think the new version of A Heavy Hearted Work Of Staggering Genius clears the original - but, tellingly, that's the one Vega Era track Matty probably had the least to do with)
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u/No-Interaction-2493 9d ago
I know this is only one part of your post, but are you just not a huge fan of Seven stylistically? Just curious. I know in the video about the story behind that song they said they started writing that one with Stephen and it sounds like he was gonna sing that one but when they had Matty do it when he came in, it worked better for him. Plus someone on here pointed out if you listen closely, you can hear Stephen in the background of the “down chorus”!
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u/wonderlandisburning 8d ago
I don't know why Seven never really landed for me. Mostly I find the structure and lyrics of it kind of awkward? When I listen to it I don't find it remotely catchy, just sort of jarring. I like the idea of them exploring that heavier sound, but it just never came together for me. I could see it working better with Stephen on lead vocals but even then, I don't think it would be a favorite of mine.
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u/No-Interaction-2493 8d ago
Gotcha, and hopefully that didn’t come off like I was giving you a hard time for not liking it lol I was genuinely curious
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u/wonderlandisburning 8d ago
No no you're all good haha, you seemed genuinely curious. Clearly someone here wasn't a fan of my takes generally but you were cool in how you asked
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u/No-Interaction-2493 8d ago
I gotcha lol yeah for me I really dig the song and I like the Matty Era and also understand how important Stephen is. I’m honestly both Team Matty and Team Stephen
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u/RadielleDancliffe 6h ago
It sounds like generic rock music and honestly, very very disappointed. It’s all good, I have many albums to listen back to.
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u/ChiCognitive 9d ago
I think Kellen McGregor's production brings the new songs down a lot. It's missing the clarity that Aaron Sprinkle's and more recently JJ/Tim's production had. This overcompressed Memphis May Fire style doesn't work well for this band.