Anberlin
Anberlin is an American alternative rock band formed in Winter Haven, Florida, in 2002. Since the beginning of 2007, the band consists of lead vocalist Stephen Christian, guitarists Joseph Milligan and Christian McAlhaney, bassist Deon Rexroat, and drummer Nathan Young.
Members of Anberlin originally formed a band under the name SaGoh 24/7 in 1998, realizing two studio albums before disbanding, with the members having a change in musical direction and name. Anberlin was formed in 2002; within a year of forming, they had signed with semi-independent record label Tooth & Nail Records and released their debut album, Blueprints for the Black Market. In 2005, the band released their second album, Never Take Friendship Personal. The band's third album, Cities, was released in 2007, and became their first album to reach the top 20 of the Billboard 200, selling 34,000 copies in its debut week.
Anberlin signed with major label Universal Republic in 2007 and in 2008 released New Surrender, which peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard 200, with the first single, "Feel Good Drag", claiming No. 1 on the Alternative Songs chart, after 29 weeks in the chart. Prior to the 2010 release of their fifth studio album, Dark Is the Way, Light Is a Place, Anberlin had sold over 1,000,000 albums. Their sixth studio album Vital was released October 16, 2012, and rereleased on Big3 Records under the title Devotion a year later, October 15, 2013.
On January 16, 2014, it was announced that Anberlin would be disbanding in 2014 after recording their seventh studio album, Lowborn, on their original label, Tooth & Nail Records, and touring one last time. After performing concerts in late 2018, the group reunited to tour through 2019. In May 2020, Christian mentioned they were working on new material. Anberlin released their new EP Silverline on July 29, 2022.
In October 2023, Christian announced he was taking an indefinite hiatus from touring with the band and was replaced by Memphis May Fire's Matty Mullins.
History
SaGoh 24/7 and the origins of Anberlin (1998–2002)
Lead singer Stephen Christian met bassist Deon Rexroat while they were both in high school, and they formed a punk band called SaGoh 24/7. Drummer Sean Hutson and guitarist Joseph Milligan joined the group as well. The band released two albums, Servants After God's Own Heart, and Then I Corrupt Youth, both under Rescue Records. After the albums sold only 1,300 units, Hutson left the band to start a family, and Nathan Young was brought in as a replacement.Christian, Milligan and Rexroat began working on a side project, marking the beginning of the end for SaGoh 24/7. The side project's sound transformed after a suggestion from Milligan to develop more of a rock sound for Anberlin. They used money left over from shows SaGoh had performed and teamed up with producer Matt Goldman to record five demos. The demos that were then posted on PureVolume. On the advice of friends, including Chad Johnson, and Timmy McTague from Underoath, the band signed with Tooth & Nail Records.
''Blueprints for the Black Market'' and ''Never Take Friendship Personal'' (2002–2005)
Out of the five demos Anberlin recorded with Matt Goldman, three were eventually chosen to be reworked for the band's debut album, the lead single "Readyfuels", "Driving" and "Foreign Language". Another song, "Embrace the Dead", was also recorded as a demo track and is often mistaken as an Anberlin song, however, the song didn't make it onto the band's debut album as it didn't constitute the stylistic direction the band wanted to head in.After hearing demos from the band Acceptance, Anberlin chose to record their debut album with the same producer, Aaron Sprinkle, creating a relationship that would last the entire duration of their time with Tooth & Nail Records. Barely a year after their formation, their first album as a new band was entitled Blueprints for the Black Market. It failed to chart, but spurred on by their debut single, "Readyfuels", the album sold over 60,000 units. They toured steadily with other bands in their label.
Rhythm guitarist Joey Bruce was eventually ejected from the band. According to Christian, he was "all about sex, drugs and rock & roll", and was going in a different direction than the rest of the band. After several failed replacements, Nathan Strayer from The Mosaic took over rhythm guitar duties.
Anberlin released their follow-up to Blueprints, Never Take Friendship Personal, in early 2005, again produced by Aaron Sprinkle. Charting at No. 144 on the Billboard 200, the album brought the band closer to the mainstream. NTFP was generally more well received by critics than Blueprints for the Black Market. Before its release, the band promoted the album by releasing a track per week on their PureVolume and MySpace website accounts, as well as on their own website. Two singles were released from the album: "A Day Late" and "Paperthin Hymn". Both were reasonably successful on alternative rock radio, with the latter peaking at the No. 38 position on the Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart.
Anberlin participated in a number of compilations during this time, recording covers of Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone", Depeche Mode's "Enjoy the Silence," and the song "Christmas ".
''Cities'' and ''Lost Songs'' (2005–2007)
Anberlin's third album produced by Aaron Sprinkle was released in early 2007 under the title Cities. It sold 34,000 copies in its first week of release, debuted at No. 19 on the Billboard 200 chart, and, like their previous album, received fairly positive reviews from critics. Before the release of Cities, the band released Godspeed EP exclusively through the iTunes Store in late 2006 to give a preview to the new album. In support of the album, Anberlin held their first headlining tour, supported by Bayside, Meg & Dia and Jonezetta.In an interview about the album, Christian commented that the lyrics throughout the band's discography are progressively becoming more mature. "The first CD was childish in the manner that it was Man vs. World in the lyrics. The second was Man Vs. Man. Cities is more adult in the manner that it's Man Vs. Self. Cities was the most anticipated album on Jesus Freak Hideout's Most Anticipated Albums of 2007.
Three to four weeks before the release of Cities, it was announced that guitarist Nathan Strayer amicably left the band to go back to the Mosaic and that Christian McAlhaney, formerly of the band Acceptance, would take over as the new guitarist.
A compilation album of unreleased material, called Lost Songs, was released on November 20, 2007. It features B-sides, demos, covers, and acoustic versions of their previous songs as well as other tracks recorded at Sessions@AOL.
Universal Republic signing and ''New Surrender'' (2007–2009)
The band signed to Universal Republic on August 16, 2007, and soon after began to write material for their major-label debut, entitled New Surrender, which was released on September 30, 2008. This was the band's first album to not be distributed through Tooth & Nail Records or produced by Aaron Sprinkle. The first song to be heard from the new album was tentatively titled "Bittersweet Memory" during its initial live performances; it was later renamed to "Breaking", with an acoustic remix of the song included on USB wristbands sold exclusively during the 2008 Warped Tour. On July 11, 2008, the band showcased a second new song called "Disappear" on their MySpace profile. The first actual single from the album was the re-recorded "Feel Good Drag" which was set to go to radio on August 18 - eventually being released on August 26.The band booked eight weeks of recording sessions with noted producer Neal Avron in early February 2008. Stephen Christian stated in an interview, "We're very excited about working with Neal; I think our fans are going to be pleased when they hear the final result." Christian also discussed the difficulties in writing this record. "When you try to write 29 songs lyrically you find yourself topically working in circles; I only go through so much in one year, but needlessly I have dedicated myself to begin searching books, art, and friends for new directions." During the recording process, the band set up a live webcam in the studio so fans could watch them record the album via the band's MySpace profile. New Surrender was placed at the No. 2 spot on Jesus Freak Hideout's 25 Most Anticipated Albums of 2008.
In the week of its release, the album sold 36,000 units, entering the Billboard 200 chart at No. 13. It also placed at No. 5 on the Top Current Rock chart, according to a Universal Republic press release. In support of the album, the band embarked on a fall headlining U.S. tour alongside Scary Kids Scaring Kids, Straylight Run, and There For Tomorrow. Kyle Flynn, formerly of the band Acceptance, joined the band while on tour doing keys, loops, acoustic guitar, and background vocals. The band then traveled to the United Kingdom where they supported Elliot Minor and played a handful of headlining shows with Furthest Drive Home and Data.Select.Party.
Anberlin went into the studio to record several tracks, including a cover of the New Order song "True Faith", which was made available online. The band also recorded a cover of the Danzig song "Mother", which they performed during an interview with Billboard. After supporting Taking Back Sunday throughout May and June 2009, the band planned to start writing the follow-up to New Surrender in the summer, but the release date was undetermined, as the band needed to give the new material the proper time and effort. They also undertook an Australian tour in August, alongside The Academy Is.... A b-side from New Surrender, "A Perfect Tourniquet", was released on the soundtrack for the TV show 90210. The cover of New Order's "True Faith" was released to radio airplay on November 17, the same day as the Tooth & Nail released Blueprints for City Friendships: The Anberlin Anthology, which is a 33-song, three-album set including all the songs from their Tooth & Nail studio albums.