“You’re Not Alone” by Saosin, December 31, 2023
In Chinese, the word 小心 (xiǎo xīn) translates to careful. Anthony Green proposed the name to a band he was fronting, choosing to spell the Chinese as Saosin instead. But the band wouldn’t record their first record with Green, though, who stepped down due to a battle with depression and feeling homesick. Anthony would later form the band Circa Survive and would rejoin Saosin for their third album. In the meantime, Saosin hired 19-year-old Cove Reber, who would sing on Saosin’s Capitol Records eponymous debut and their Virgin Records sophomore record, In Search of Solid Ground.
CONFUSED BY THE LIES SHE’S BEEN FED. When Cove Reber submitted his demo to sing for Saosin, guitarist Beau Burchell thought that Anthony Green had submitted his own demo as a prank due to the similarities in Reber and Green’s voices. With a similar-sounding lead singer, Saosin headed out on the Taste of Chaos Tour with The Used, My Chemical Romance, Senses Fail, and Killswitch Engage, among others. The band signed with Capitol Records in 2005 and released their self-titled EP and then their self-titled LP, the latter produced by Howard Benson. Saosin’s debut was the most successful of their three albums, producing the # 25 Alternative Rock radio single “Voices.” With relentless touring from The Vans Warped Tour to a headlining tour with Poison the Well to a spot on Linkin Park’s Projekt Revolution, the band gained a loyal fanbase and solidified a spot in the scene. After recording and touring with In Search of Solid Ground, though, the band fired lead singer Cove Reber in 2010, stating that his vocal performance and stage performance had become lacking.
THERE IS MORE TO THIS, I KNOW. Saosin is often called a Post-hardcore and an Emo band. Their two major-label albums sound more commercially viable for alternative radio, though many of the bands they toured with didn’t have alternative radio hits. Also, Saosin’s lyrics are hopeful compared to many bands in the scene. Lead singer Cove Reber grew up Mormon and the band toured and supported many Christian Rock bands such as Norma Jean, Underoath, and The Devil Wears Prada. Reber also recorded vocals for several Christian bands, including Norma Jean and Destroy the Runner. But sadly, after Saosin, Cove’s life wasn’t as positive as his lyrics. In 2018, he talked with Shane Told on Lead Singer Syndrome about how he lost his confidence at the end of the band’s first 2-year touring cycle. He began smoking to relieve the stress, which ultimately hurt his vocal performance. He tells Told that he “experienced so much shit since leaving Saosin, from sleeping in my car and not having a home to living with two dudes whose dad was addicted to meth.” Cove eventually formed another band called Dead American and wrote about his post-Saosin experiences. Cove talks to Shane about going from writing the song “You’re Not Alone,” which many fans expressed how that song saved their lives to a time when he felt hopeless and channeled that hopelessness into a new band. But ironically, the darker sound of Cove’s new band restored his hope in music--and even led to a reconciliation with Saosin.
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