AFI releases new album ‘Bodies’ via Rise Records

AFI has released its 11th studio album Bodies via Rise Records. Stream and purchase the anticipated new collection HERE, and stay tuned for news about AFI’s exciting plans for the remainder of 2021 and beyond. The band has also shared a video for Bodies highlight “On Your Back,” which was filmed during the recording of their BBC Radio 1 session and aired last night on Radio 1’s Rock Show with Dan Carter. Watch the lively in-studio clip HERE.

“We are thrilled to finally see the release of Bodies,” says AFI’s Davey Havok. “For so long, we’ve wanted this record to be yours. Now it is.“

Critics have hailed Bodies as ranking high in AFI’s body of work, with the likes of SPIN praising the band for “fusing some experimental new steps into the tried and true AFI formula,” and calling their music “one of the most distinct and recognizable sounds today.” In their recent chat with Davey Havok, FLOOD Magazine said that “The album shows the members elevating their musicianship without a second of superfluousness. The result is an album that will appeal to old school fans while inevitably attracting new listeners to the band’s gothic-rock sound.” Alternative Press gave the album a glowing review, noting that “AFI dish out somber edge with outright elegance.” BrooklynVegan shared similar sentiments, saying that “Bodies is the most consistently rewarding batch of songs AFI have released in at least a decade.” Kerrang! also praised the band’s continual inventiveness, saying that “Throughout, even during the more familiar-sounding songs, keyboards and electronic beats pop up, leaving the whole thing with a feeling of gutter-glitter that underlines Davey’s intent with the soul of it.”

HEAR BODIES IN FULL
WATCH THE “ON YOUR BACK” VIDEO

Last month, the band unveiled The Ritual Collection, a new line of merch that can be found exclusively in The Bodies Experience. This includes a special deck of oracle cards (with one card for each song), soy prayer candles and incense — all fitting counterparts to the dark and brooding new track “Tied To A Tree.” The artwork for the “Tied To A Tree” visualizer is based on the art found on the oracle card deck. The Ritual Collection is now joined by The Bath Collection and The Travel Collection — find more information about each collection within The Bodies Experience.

AFI are leaders, not followers. A collective in a perpetual state of creative evolution as fluid as the evocative figures contorting on the cover of Bodies, their newest collection of songs. The record is a snapshot of unrelenting artists in motion, unconcerned with compromise or outside demands.

AFI’s unshakeable connection with their audience is a testament to the band’s knack for reinvention, renewal, and exploration, anchored by an unblemished authenticity. AFI songs are embedded in the spiritual DNA of a legion of supporters and Bodies is further demonstration of AFI’s unwavering commitment to artistic exploration, a dark conjuration of an uncapturable muse. The album was produced by the band’s own Jade Puget, mixed by Tony Hoffer (M83, Phoenix, Silversun Pickups), and mastered by Vlado Meller (Oasis, Pink Floyd).”

The band initially summoned a steady subcultural groundswell in the mid-90s, devoid of careerist ambitions. The band first made music as teenaged misfits in an obscure Northern California town, steadily assembling a dense catalog over the years marked by its diversity and authenticity.

“AFI is such an integral part of who I am. What we do with AFI together is a foundation for me,” explains frontman Davey Havok. “Coming back is a return to a home I’ve always known.” 

It’s a sentiment shared by the entire band. “I couldn’t do what I do in AFI in any other place,” observes guitarist Jade Puget. “Davey and I have written songs together for over 20 years now. I couldn’t find the thing he and I have together anywhere else, nor the thing the four of us have when we come together. AFI is home for me and will always be that.”
“At this point, it’s not even a choice. It’s just what I do,” drummer Adam Carson concurs. “I started this band with Davey when I was 16. It’s something that I love so much. It’s just a part of me.”

“Every album is an opportunity to show people a snapshot of our evolution,” adds bassist Hunter Burgan. “And with this band, it’s always something fresh. We’ve been playing together for so long that I have a deep understanding of each of my bandmates‘ musical styles, and yet I am still pleasantly surprised by the new things they bring to each record.” 

“Anyone who knows our catalog knows that no two records really sit together,” Puget points out. “Some sit a little closer, maybe. We do certain things, just by virtue of who we are, that are consistent, but those things come about organically. Every time we do something, I have to judge it on its own merits. Some fans are going to judge a new album, or a new song, based on what’s come before. But as artists, we can’t do that, because it would only hinder our creativity.” 

AFI never stepped into the mainstream; the masses came to them. The platinum success of Sing the Sorrow blazed a path for a generation of hardcore-punk weaned bands to similarly crossover. 2006’s Decemberunderground upended expectations again and earned AFI a second platinum plaque. Crash Love was another adventurous turn, with expansive and almost optimistic-sounding melodies, glistening with emotion. The haunting Burials arrived four years later, debuting in the Top 10 of the Billboard 200. The self-titled follow-up, commonly referred to as “The Blood Album,” became AFI’s second-highest charting album since their inception, debuting at No. 5 in 2017. After the release of AFI (The Blood Album), the band was hardly content to rest on its laurels. AFI then released yet another highly-praised addition to their discography, 2018’s The Missing Man EP.