“Body Language” by Anberlin, Friday, June 9, 2023

 

We haven’t talked about the latest Anberlin EP, Silverline. Last summer, the band released their first project since 2014’s supposed-to-be swan song, Lowborn. This time, Anberlin has partnered with Equal Vision Records, rather than with their old family at Tooth & Nail. Rather than releasing a full-length record, the band decided to release it in two parts, Silverline and Convicted, which will arrive at the end of this month. On an episode of Lead Singer Syndrome, Stephen Christian said that the band had decided to release the album in two parts because he “didn’t understand the music industry these days.” 

YOU KEEP GETTING CLOSER BUT YOU’RE SO DISTANT INSIDE. Anberlin isn’t the first band to release their albums as a series of EPs. When Mae became an independent artist, they released their (m)orning, (a)fternoon, and (e)vening, which later combined into (m)(a)(e). Relient K released their K…Is for Karaoke record in two parts. Acceptance’s latest record was released their album Wild & Free in a series of EPs. And it appears that Equal Vision label mates The Juliana Theory will also release their album Still the Same Kids in two parts. I always found this way of releasing an album as disappointing, like receiving half of a Christmas present now and half later. It makes the “Christmas” of the release day a little less special when you know half the songs on the record. But for a band like Anberlin, particularly a re-formed Anberlin, this format produced their most schizophrenic collection of songs, and without the format of a long-form album, the variety of sounds the new Anberlin offers sit like undercooked ingredients in a dish you’re not quite sure is supposed to be the main course or dessert. 

TELL ME EVERYTHING RUNNING THROUGH YOUR MIND. Metaphors aside, unlike a lot of reactions I saw online, I loved the new direction of Anberlin with their first single in seven years, “Two Graves.” The second single from Silverline, “Circles” furthered the band’s chaotic journey into layered electronic hard rock. I didn’t immediately love the droning melody, but I couldn’t deny the passion in the recording and performance. Then in July of last year, the full EP dropped with three more songs: “Nothing Lost,” “Body Language” and “Asking.” None of the songs sounded like the singles. “Nothing Lost” sounded the most like peak Anberlin with a bit of a gritty ‘80s rock sound. But “Asking” and today’s song “Body Language” are pop songs, sounding as if they were written when Stephen was recording Anchor & Braille’s Tension. I love hearing the different sides of Anberlin. I love listening to pop Stephen. I love listening to the mixed up rock sounds that are new and unlike anything they’ve produced before. What we don’t get, though, is cohesion. It’s impossible with a 5-song EP, and maybe across a 10+ song record, the band could use their magic formula to make the record flow. Will they recut Silverline and Convicted as a full-length record and maybe add some more songs? And how will the new Christian McAlhaney-led “Lacerate” work with “Two Graves” and “Circles”? 

Read the lyrics on Genius.