On the occasion of their 20th band anniversary, the FLATLINERS deliver “Souvenir”, the second coupling of their album scheduled for August 5th via FAT WRECK upcoming album "New Ruin". The new song convinces with another big refrain that should stay in your head for days.
"The mind is such a powerful thing - for better or for worse - and this song comes straight from the deep pit that fear is able to help dig," says frontman Chris Creswell.
"When a moment of hesitation can send you into a downward spiral, when the smallest task suddenly seems elusive, when fear is found in a place you least expect it, like a souvenir stuffed deep in a drawer then you can either surrender to the situation and take it with you, or try to do your best to banish the fear. Souvenir is about finding your footing, even when the ground is just under you seems to be crumbling."
The quartet from Toronto is coming to visit us live in time for the release of the new record, the following concerts are strongly recommended, also given the strong new songs!
ABOUT THE FLATLINERS
Playing in a band for 20 years not only changes you, it changes the way you see the world and your place in it. For Toronto's veteran punks, a new album means a fresh opportunity to take a fresh look at the legacy they've represented and everything they'll pass on through it. It's an imperfect legacy, but not without hope.
"This record presents us at an awkward moment when the world is collapsing around us, and we then strive to learn from it," says the singer and guitarist. "Nobody has to listen to us, but we want to at least try to be heard."
"New Ruin" is an adrenaline rush from a band attacking outdated institutions and ideologies with poignant lyrics and their strongest songs yet. And with a ferocity that will surprise even longtime fans. From the monstrous, discordant hits that open the album to the de facto thesis "Heirloom," it's clear THE FLATLINERS are angry in a way we've never heard from them before.
At the same time, they've never been so in control of themselves. Songs like "Performative Hours" and "Recoil," which Cresswell co-produced with the rest of the band, simmer with lively post-hardcore energy, while "Souvenir" and "Big Strum" offer tighter aggression that borders directly on the anthemic band's punk past. Recorded at Toronto's Noble Street Studios and polished at Genesis Sound with longtime friend and engineer Matt Snell, the album sounds both open and immediate, the cumulative effect of now two decades of performing together. Cresswell says as he takes the reins: "When you've been at it for 20 years and you don't trust yourself anymore...".
"New Ruin" was mastered by what Chris calls a "dream team" with Anton DeLost on the mixing desk and Blasting Room legend Jason Livermore. The record cleverly combines the pop ambitions of "Inviting Light" with an aggression that the band has only hinted at before, indulging in their fiercest tendencies. It's an approach the songs - and the moment - demand. Take "Heirloom":
"It's a hate letter to the previous generation," says Creswell. "All of her brilliance and ingenuity have failed our generation, and future generations who can no longer afford the world we live in, with this tremendous emotional and environmental toll. This is so demoralizing." But amidst the wreckage of modern day hellscape, the band is not without hope. The album-closing "Under A Dying Sun" offers its own version of solace and redemption, bringing the smashing album to a close with a thoughtful grandiosity that at least hints at a light at the end of the tunnel.
Maybe it's because THE FLATLINERS had fun for the first time in a long time, despite the darkness set to music. They self-produced, recorded with friends and played music together after being apart for almost 600 days - the longest since their formation in 2002. "New Ruin" is also the sound of a band rediscovering the joy of it has to do something meaningful together. Creswell calls it a gift.
"There's another side of negativity that's heard on this record," he says, "It's also a strong time. There are so many people talking about things that really should have been talked about a long time ago. It's a step in the right direction. Art and music can be a part of it. We've all kind of screwed it up so we can try to fix it. It's not too late, but it's almost too late .It's almost too late."
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