This piece was originally featured in AM01 — Issue One of Ascribe. Click here to read it alongside the rest of the issue.
From new bands and scene legends alike, 2022 found Equal Vision’s artists bringing their best work to the table.
A handful of these artists took the time to reflect on what these releases meant to them, their work, and their year.
William Ryan Key – ‘Everything Except Desire’ EP
Release date: 2/11/22
“‘Everything Except Desire’ was really about exploration for me. I feel like I moved the line forward farther than ever before as a producer and songwriter. There is something incredibly freeing about letting go of expectations and opinions, and just allowing yourself the space to create whatever comes out.”
Dead American – ‘New Nostalgia’
Release date: 2/11/22
“Within ‘New Nostalgia’ you will find a sound that is familiar to the ‘04-‘09 “scene”. We wanted to encompass all our favorite sounds from the bands we loved at that time. I think I can safely say Mission Accomplished.”
Bitter Branches – ‘Your Neighbors Are Failures’
Release date: 2/25/22
“YNAF” was written during a period of charged political and social unrest in a bubble of pandemic isolation. To say the result was cathartic would be accurate. The feedback from folks listening to the songs and seeing us perform them live has been such a fun experience for us. We look forward to bumming more people out in 2023!”
Glacier Veins – ‘Lunar Reflection’
Release date: 3/11/22
“‘Lunar Reflection’ is a record of introspection and personal transformation. It was a dream finally getting to put these songs out into the world after spending the past couple years in quiet reflection and writing mode. Similarly, it was special getting back out into the world touring with this album, reconnecting with everyone, releasing energy and sharing stories of growth. Thank you so much to everyone who spun ‘Lunar Reflection’ and who has ever supported Glacier Veins. We are so grateful!”
Hot Water Music – ‘Feel The Void’
Release date: 3/18/22
“To be able to make a record like Feel The Void 28 years into our existence is really special for us. The record has the same ‘lightning in a bottle’ feeling that ‘Caution’ did (and still does).”
Greyhaven – ‘This Bright and Beautiful World’
Release date: 4/15/22
“When we finished writing this record I wasn’t sure how people were going to react. Having to sit on it for a year afterwards only amplified that feeling of uncertainty but the response from people has been truly incredible and validating that we’re free to explore new territory and still resonate with people. I was really struggling hard during the writing of this album and I wrote my lyrics really fast but I think it made for an honest record and I think people have connected with that. At the end of this year, a few months after TBABW has been released, I’m grateful to have it out in the world, I’m glad to add this to our body of work (no matter how challenging it was) and I’m thankful to have been able to play some of these songs in front of people a few times and beyond ready to do more of that. We all knew it was going to be a strange and slow start to get back into the swing of things but with this year coming to an end, I’m hoping next year we can really explore where this record can go.”
Donovan Melero – ‘Chelsea Park After Dark’
Release date: 4/22/22
“‘Chelsea Park After Dark’ was my way of dealing with a pain I hadn’t felt in so long. It poured out of me. I couldn’t have contained it if I tried. I was nervous to say some of what I said initially, but ultimately I think that is what connects me to listeners a lot of the time. The universe put me where I needed to be even when I couldn’t see it. This record led me to songwriting I had never explored before and will be an important part of my story in and outside of music.”
Vagrants – ‘Be Consumed’
Release date: 4/29/22
“‘Be Consumed’ was an album written and recorded during the pandemic, and that made the process much more difficult logistically, but when I look back on that time period, it was an incredibly freeing moment to create under those circumstances. Going into it, there was this notion of shedding the insecurities of it being heard by fans/press/etc; because at that time no one really knew what would come next with live music or anything else in the world. I think that allowed Anna and I to truly just focus on making songs we loved and connected with, and experiment with styles we hadn’t touched on before, because that was the only thing that really seemed realistic and tangible at that point. Making ‘Be Consumed’ allowed us to push the limits of what we could do as a band, and opened us up to a much broader sonic palette to create with. It’s exciting to be on the other side of that process and feel like moving forward we can create literally whatever we want to hear, and hopefully that openness people connect to even more.”
The Juliana Theory – ‘Still the Same Kids Pt. 1’ EP
Release date: 5/6/22
“‘Still The Same Kids Pt. 1’ is a preview of our upcoming full length which reflectively asks the question “Are we still the same kids?” The songs are meant to transport you back in time while simultaneously reminding you to fully embrace and inhabit the current moment.”
Scary Kids Scaring Kids – ‘Out of Light’
Release date: 5/27/22
“We never thought we’d get to make another album. We lost our singer, Tyson Stevens, since the last record and choosing to continue making music as Scary Kids without him was a difficult decision. It ended up being one of the most rewarding experiences we’ve had in a long time. We brought in a lot of collaborators on the album, a different singer for each song, many who had known Tyson and were a part of the band’s story. It allowed us to address difficult feelings that we hadn’t yet, and write about it with people who had their own stories to share. The goal and purpose of the album was to write ‘Out of Light’ or from a place of love, to transition away from songs about living inside the pain. It felt great to be home, in the studio, with our best friends. It was full of love, and we are extremely grateful we got to share that experience again. We love how the album turned out and hope others connect with it too.”
All Get Out – ‘Kodak’
Release date: 6/3/22
“I don’t think any of us have ever been as happy about a release and its feedback. ‘Kodak’ was our first self produced LP and the feedback has been 99 percent positive. It’s put us on dream tours all year and I’m not sure what else we could have asked for really. We’re wrapping up our 2022 touring now and looking back it’s safe to say that this was our most productive release and touring season.”
Silent Drive – ‘Fairhaven’
Release date: 6/10/22
“‘Fairhaven’ was a fun and cathartic record to make. It was great to be in a room with my bandmates after a long hiatus, working on music, and the subject matter couldn’t have been more therapeutic. Watching it come together was its own reward. What better way to cope with the loss of dear friends than scream about it?
The response to the record has been very positive. Many people have reached out to let us know that these songs have been and are helping them through their own tough times. It’s been great finally playing live, and hopefully, we’ll play in a city near you.”
D.R.U.G.S. – ‘Destroy Rebuild’
Release date: 6/17/22
“Nothing has brought more joy and fulfillment than being blessed enough to write and perform with D.R.U.G.S. again. The music of D.R.U.G.S. has reignited a fire and a passion who’s warmth is so incredibly rewarding. Cannot wait to get back out on those stages and bring DESTROY REBUILD to life in a way never seen before.”
Fairweather – ‘Deluge’
Release date: 6/24/22
“Unlike a lot of bands who started at the same time and came from the same world, we drifted away from our original “sound” quite early. We’ve always tried to push ourselves and write what felt new, but still felt like Fairweather to us. We’ve been lucky to never feel the pressure to recreate something or stick to the same formula. When we started the writing process for what would ultimately become ‘Deluge’, we had no concrete expectations of how it should sound. As the songs started to materialize, it seemed like it was almost a response to our last record. On that album, we wanted to capture the feeling of the band playing live together. Aggressive and straight forward. ‘Deluge’ is more atmospheric and filled with tension. Those were traits that we first began to explore on our record, “Lusitania”, but this time we really made a point of leaning into them. We didn’t even bother worrying about how we would play anything live, we just wanted to make it as rich and orchestral as we could. We wanted to push it as far as we could, but still have it feel like it was still Fairweather. We’re all incredibly proud of the final product and we’re incredibly lucky to have the continued support of fans and EVR over all these years. They’ve both given us a very long leash and let us be us.”
Anberlin – ‘Silverline’
Release date: 7/29/22
“Recording and releasing ‘Silverline’ after 8 years of silence was daunting. We really didn’t know if the new music would be well received by fans. Even at the beginning of the process, we were hyper critical of the first few songs that began to take shape. People change a lot in 8 years and we didn’t know if those changes we went though as a band would influence us in a way that would be identifiable to our fans or make us seem like strangers. In the end, we decided to simply make music that was something that was truly fun to perform as a band and I think that comes through when listening to these songs. When we finally finished the EP and released “Two Graves” as the first peak into our new music, the positive reaction was overwhelming for us. It feels as if we somehow bridged the gap between the past and present and our long time fans are enjoying what we have to offer as much as any new fans out there.”
Armor For Sleep – ‘The Rain Museum’
Release date: 9/9/22
“It’s been humbling listening to the positive feedback of ‘The Rain Museum’ from our fans thus far. This is an album I think we all knew would be a slow burn over the years for fans of our band so we weren’t expecting the immediate positive vibes for the record, but after being out of commission for so long, the support for the record we’ve been shown so far certainly has been a warm welcome back for us. The record is about a really dark time in my life that I happened to go through during the heart of the pandemic. I think it has resonated with our fans so far because some of them seem to have gone through similarly dark times during covid as well. Here’s to hopefully a slightly brighter future and a happy new year for all of us!”
No Devotion – ‘No Oblivion’
Release date: 9/16/22
“No Oblivion. Carve it on our gravestones. This album felt like something we had to make, something that we had dreamed about since we were kids. All the obstacles that almost prevented it from being released were like a toll we had to pay to be a part of something that we’d been chasing for years. This album hasn’t found as wide an audience as some of our past work, but it’s found an extremely deep one. People who love this record tell us they needed it as much as we did when we were writing it. We can’t wait to take it on tour in 2023 and meet everyone who clicked so deeply with this record.”
Cherie Amour – ‘Spiritual Ascension’
Release date: 11/4/22
“‘Spiritual Ascension’ feels like it picks up where Internal Discussions left off. Since the release of our first EP we’ve all gone through huge life changes not only musically but in our personal lives too. We’ve grown a lot as people and as musicians and we really felt that while writing this record. We dive deeper into our heavier side as well as our R&B and HipHop side. When you listen to this record we hope it brings you peace in mind that we’re all trying to find our place in this world and no matter what you’re going through you will always have the people around you.”
Young Culture – ‘You Had To Be There’
Release date: 11/11/22
“Welcome to the party. This is one you don’t want to miss, and that’s exactly what we intended it to be. Don’t take yourself too seriously, definitely don’t take us too seriously. This is supposed to be fun. Young Culture has always been about making the most of your life, taking advantage of those good times, so come and do that with us. You’ll find us connecting with our pop-punk roots but with a new, refreshing aim. Short, sweet and to the point as we like to do it, but packed full of memorable moments. If you’re missing out on the YC bandwagon, sorry, I can’t explain this one to you, I guess You Had To Be There.”
