Just after celebrating 20 years together and having their album, A Beautiful Place To Drown, receive a JUNO Award-nomination for Rock Album of the Year, legendary post-hardcore outfit SILVERSTEIN hit us with a standout, anthemic new single and video – “Bankrupt“.
“Bankrupt” is available via UNFD across all digital platforms today along with its official video that was directed by long time friend and collaborator, Wyatt Clough. Watch the visuals on YouTube as Clough captures an explosive performance from the band using mostly 16mm Kodak (Double-X 7222) film.
Last year’s milestone marked two decades of relentlessly pushing themselves from their underground roots to becoming one of the most influential bands in their scene. As Silverstein set out on their official worldwide 20th Anniversary Tour to celebrate, the COVID-19 pandemic arrived, forcing them, along with so many others, to drop everything and take shelter back in their respective hometowns. As 2020 took a turn to become a horrible time for most, the band were hit with an onslaught of rage as they watched the select few in elevated positions leverage their power, and opportunistically kick us while we were down.
The band took their fury into the studio and continued writing all throughout lockdown – “Bankrupt” being the first look into those sessions. The track proves the band’s roots in punk are firm in place.
I don’t know how to feel anything but rage anymore. The rich are getting richer and poor are getting poorer. Wages are stagnant, tuition costs are rising, jobs are being automated/off-shored, costs of a home are laughable in most major cities. The walls feel like they’re closing in and escape is starting to feel impossible. Two-faced leaders and greedy elected officials line their pockets while stripping funding for the programs that we actually need. What are we supposed to do now? Looking out for one another on a community level is good, but changing a crooked system is better. – Guitarist and songwriter Paul Marc Rousseau
Silverstein is Shane Told (vocals), Paul Marc Rousseau and Josh Bradford (guitars), Billy Hamilton (bass), Paul Koehler (drums). They are currently set to head back out on the road to finish their 20th Anniversary Tour this fall. All dates are listed below. Click here to purchase tickets and follow Silverstein on Instagram for updates.
Silverstein Live Dates:
11/04: Cleveland, OH – House of Blues
11/05: Royal Oak, MI – Royal Oak Music Hall
11/07: Cincinnati, OH – Bogarts
11/09: Chicago, IL – Concord Music Hall
11/11: Denver, CO – Gothic Theatre
11/13: Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot
11/15: Portland, OR – Hawthorne Theatre
11/16: Seattle, WA – The Showbox
11/18: San Francisco, CA – The Regency
11/19: Los Angeles, CA- Belasco
11/20: Anaheim, CA – House of Blues
11/21: Las Vegas, NV – Brooklyn Bowl
11/23: Tempe, AZ – Marquee
11/24: Albuquerque, NM – Sunshine
11/26: Dallas, TX – Gas Monkey Bar and Grill
11/27: San Antonio, TX – Vibes
11/28: Houston, TX – Warehouse Live
11/30: St Petersburg, FL – Jannus Live
12/03: Atlanta, GA – Masquerade
12/12: Toronto, ON – Danforth Music Hall
While many bands would take their 20-year anniversary as an opportunity to rest on the laurels of nostalgia, Silverstein saw the landmark as a time to appreciate how far they’ve come, while also channeling all those years of experience into something new. Their latest album, 2020’s A Beautiful Place To Drown found the band deftly balancing their core sound—an intensely dynamic mix of melody and aggression, rooted in the energy of hardcore punk and the unabashed earnestness of emo—with their natural growth as songwriters and evolving inspirations.
Forged in their longevity, the confidence Silverstein has in one another enables the band to find this sort of careful songwriting alchemy. “Everyone has carved out their role,” Koehler says. “And we trust each other in those roles.” Rousseau, the “newest” member of Silverstein (after joining in 2012 following four years of touring as the band’s guitar tech), found his songwriting duties expanding along with his enthusiasm for pushing the band into new territory. “The only clear objective I have when I start writing is to not repeat myself,” he says. “This far into our career, I was feeling a lot of freedom because we already have this large back catalog. It felt like a hall pass to see what Silverstein could potentially sound like.”
A Beautiful Place To Drown fulfills that potential, seamlessly merging the band’s evergreen strengths with a daring approach to composition and production. Recorded with producer/engineer Sam Guaiana, the album’s 12 tracks blend vibrant contemporary sonics with walls of distorted guitars and pummelling drums to create a sound that’s stunningly cohesive, and undeniably Silverstein. The latter songs feature two of the album’s numerous guest spots, which seem particularly representative of the band’s past, present, and future. Old friends (Underoath’s Aaron Gillespie, Beartooth’s Caleb Shomo, and Simple Plan’s Pierre Bouvier) and new ones (Interval’s Aaron Marshall, Princess Nokia) make appearances that feel like a celebration of the band’s wide-reaching impact as well as their ability to win over listeners in all worlds of music.
