Anberlin

When Stereo Subversion interviewed Anberlin lead singer Stephen Christian over the summer and asked him about the meaning behind the name of their latest record, New Surrender, he said it was a rallying cry for people who’ve always caved in to obstacles and allowed things to hold them back. Listening to the album, it takes about one minute to see he wasn’t kidding. New Surrender is all about breaking free from your chains, living free and being inspired to do your best by burying your past, bitch-slapping your demons and surrendering to the future that awaits you. The message is powerful, emphatic and can’t be ignored.

New Surrender is filled with stories of people struggling with something. Whether it’s refusing to accept responsibility for your actions (“Blame Me! Blame Me!”) or succumbing again to an addiction (“Soft Skeletons”), some of the tracks zero in on people who give up or simply refuse to acknowledge there is a problem. They continue in their destructive ways and as a result, they are not the only ones who pay the price. And that’s one of the themes of this album: when you’re too busy thinking about yourself, you can’t see how much you’re killing someone else.

But there are tracks that show the other side of the coin, too. The lead track “The Resistance” is nothing short of a lyrical and musical punch to the face of the things that ensnare us. When Christian shouts “Speak! Speak for yourself!” and the shredding guitars and thundering drums crash behind his vocals, you can imagine a scene in a movie where the hero starts fighting back against the villain. And this is emblematic of what the album is aiming for: to burn that image into the hearts and minds of the listeners and encourage them to not give in to the powers that try to hold them down.

“Burn Out Brighter (Northern Lights)” is one of the strongest tracks on the album with its message of living life fully and not taking anything for granted in light of how you’ve lived before:

I wanna live inspired.
I wanna die for something higher than myself.
Don’t wanna leave this world, knowing I’ve lived in vain.
Don’t wanna leave this life, knowing I’ve barely tried.

Live; I wanna live on fire.
Die; I wanna burn out brighter.
Brighter than the Northern Lights.
Wanna live to feel the daylight.
The more I live I see, this life’s not about me.

New Surrender is a step up from their last record, the somewhat schizophrenic Cities. Lyrically, this album is more thematic, more precise and more focused than the last album, and musically it returns to more of the rock ’n’ roll sound found in earlier albums like Never Take Friendship Personal. The sound and feel of the record exude a greater sense of purpose and direction, which make this newest effort even stronger because they parallel the intensity of the lyrics, so the effect is one of unified power.

With this album, Anberlin has crafted a massive meaningful missive to the broken and damaged. There is hope, there is a future worth having, and there is no reason not to fight back against the things that stifle you. New Surrender speaks many more volumes than the lyrics that are sung here, and it’s a message you’re going to want to hear.

Highlight Track: “Burn Out Brighter (Northern Lights)”

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