Year of The Knife has graced us with a dynamic new single titled “Your Control,” offering a tantalizing glimpse into their highly anticipated album, “No Love Lost.”
Scheduled for an October 27th release under Pure Noise Records, this album captures the band in their most refined form, presenting nine meticulously crafted tracks that together deliver a potent 20-minute auditory experience.
Produced by the esteemed Kurt Ballou, known for his collaborations with the likes of Nails and Code Orange, “No Love Lost” emerges as a compelling fusion of hardcore and death metal, leaving a lasting impact on its listeners.
Following the acclaim of their previous singles, “Wish” and “Last Laugh,” which received accolades from esteemed outlets such as Stereogum and Revolver Magazine, “Your Control” continues the legacy with its succession of compelling riffs, each more invigorating than the previous.
Yet, beneath the pulsating beats and intricate melodies lies a story of resilience.
In June, the band faced a harrowing car accident, resulting in grievous injuries for all members.
Vocalist Madison Watkins bore the brunt, with multiple broken bones and a traumatic brain injury. Despite these adversities, “No Love Lost” stands as a testament to the band’s indomitable spirit, amplified further by their decision to channel the album’s proceeds towards their recovery journey.
The band’s bassist, Brandon Watkins, reflected on the past months and the significance of the album, highlighting Madison’s remarkable debut, the collaborative nature of their songwriting, and the challenges they’ve overcome.
“After three months we’re finally gearing up to go home. We were in a terrible accident in Salt Lake City that left me concussed, Aaron with a broken femur and severed carotid artery, Andy with broken ankles, and Madi breaking almost everything and a traumatic brain injury. It’s been a long, long road but everyday brings new hope. Madi’s currently awake and alert, talking her head off, and doing constant speech, physical and occupational therapy. Like I said, it’s challenging but everyday is better. We’re looking forward to finally going home. This record represents so many things for us. It’s Madi’s big debut, her second set of recordings and first ever LP singing for YOTK. In my opinion she CRUSHES. It was super hard to come to the decision to release the record while she’s still recovering. The record was originally supposed to start rolling out in July but with everything that happened we thought it best to wait. Now that Madi’s more aware of what’s going on I think she’ll be really excited. And we’re really excited to share this record with all of you. Our influences are all over the place for this record. This was the second time each of us wrote music for the record–like Dust to Dust where we each wrote a song, we all contributed. Madi even wrote a breakdown. It was an awesome experience learning how we each express ourselves musically. This is what I’ve got.”
Drummer Andrew Kisielewski too emphasized the album’s symbolic meaning, noting its embodiment of their collective spirit, sound evolution, and unwavering dedication to their craft.
“At the end of June we had arguably the worst thing that can happen to a band happen to us. I sustained two dislocated and fractured ankles, had two surgeries in the span of days, spent over a month in a wheelchair, another challenging month on crutches, and now as of yesterday I’m officially walking completely unassisted. It’s crazy that all of this happened just three months ago, and that glimmer of normality already approaches us all faster than we would ever expect. Given our current state, it wasn’t easy to make the decision to put out a record. It’s hard to say when we’ll be back in full swing, but for now we couldn’t be more excited to share this with everyone. In approaching writing, it was an unspoken consensus that our new lineup opened the door to evolve our sound even further. The overall dynamic, individual influences, and equal contribution between the four of us birthed something beyond anything we’ve done before. This record is the perfect culmination of us. It’s everything we wanna play, it’s everything we wanna hear, it’s 20 solid minutes of nothing but pure YOTK. To say I love this thing is an understatement, and I hope at least one of you finds a love for it the same way we do.”
