Canadian punk outfit Silverstein return today with their tenth studio album Misery Made Me, a collection of songs that dares the inner punk to not come out to play.
Over a career spanning more than two decades Silverstein have been the voice for disenfranchised youth the world over, with their steadfast approach to music and refusal to confirm to passing fads and trends ensuring they stood the test of time.
Vocalist Shane Told sat down to chat with HEAVY about the new album and how it came to be.
"We wrote this one in the pandemic and it was not an easy record to write,” he began. “Obviously, with everything that we all went through in Canada and Australia, literally the whole world went through a lot of darkness and that's pretty much what this record stems from. When we actually finished writing it and we got together in the studio and hung out together for the first time we had a blast making it. We got to experiment with a lot of cool, different sounds and really put together some unique songs. We're really happy with this album. I think there's something on here for everybody."
The press release calls Misery Made Me a step back to Silverstein’s punk and hardcore roots, a claim not refuted by Told.
"I think there's definitely some songs that would fit,” he agreed. “If you listen to a song like Die Alone, if you listen to Don't Wait Up, certainly those songs have elements of some throwback tone and vibe. I think that that's something that we like to do here and there. At the same time, we like to push forward and try to make new things as well. A song like The Altar/Mary, that's quite a bit experimental for us and quite a bit different, so I think it's a mixed bag. I think our older fans will definitely find this record to be for them, and I think that maybe people that are just discovering our band for the first time will also think we sound pretty modern too. It's a good place to be in and it does feel god to be able to make that kind of record."
In the full interview, Shane talks more about the songs on the album, the balance between moving forward musically while still clinging onto your heritage, the title and how it fits in with the album, allowing themselves freedom to write and record, tour plans and more.