Listen: AFI drop latest single ‘Trash Bat’

It’s been a little over month since AFI announced plan to release a new EP in December, and now, they’re giving fans another track from the forthcoming release. On Friday (Nov. 30), the California-founded band unleashed the upcoming album’s second single, “Trash Bat.”

“This was the ideal song to kick off the EP,” admits guitarist and the record’s producer Jade Puget about the new track. “From Adam [Carson]’s big drum fill at the top all the way through to the end, it’s just a quick burst of frenetic energy. I brought the song in and was playing it for Davey and he threw out the line, ‘my Trash Bat’ and I thought, how can you lose with a title like that? What is a Trash Bat anyway? Who cares!”

Listen to “Trash Bat” above.

“Trash Bat” will join previously released track “Get Dark” on AFI’s upcoming new EP, The Missing Man. The five-song studio effort is due out next Friday, Dec. 7, through Rise Records / WMG. Pre-orders for the forthcoming record are currently available on the band’s website. Each pre-order comes with an instant download of both “Trash Bat” and “Get Dark.”

In support of the album’s December release date, AFI announced two intimate shows; a gig at Ace of Spades in Sacramento on Dec. 9 and a show at the Observatory in San Diego on Dec. 10. Prior to their previously announced shows, the quartet will perform at KROQ’s Almost Acoustic Christmas on Saturday, Dec. 8.

The Missing Man is the follow-up to the four-piece’s 2017 release, AFI (aka The Blood Album). The Blood Album, the band’s tenth studio album, hit the number one spot on Billboard‘s Alternative and Hard Rock Albums charts and the number five spot on the Billboard 200 chart.

AFI to release ‘The Missing Man’ EP in December, unleash its lead single

A few days after sending fans into a frenzy over the omission of Davey Havok from a new band photo, AFI have returned with a brand new song. On Friday (Oct. 26), the California-founded band unleashed their first new tune in almost two years. Titled “Get Dark,” the two-and-a-half minute track can be streamed above.

In addition to treating fans to a new song, the four-piece also confirmed plans to release a new EP in early December. Titled The Missing Man, the five-song album is due out on Dec. 7 through Rise Records/WMG. The album was produced and mixed by guitarist Jade Puget. Pre-orders for the forthcoming record are currently available on the band’s website. AFI are offering four different bundles for fans to pick from.

The new album and song news comes two days after fans began speculating what Havok’s absence from the new band photo meant. The picture, which can be found here, features a cutout of Havok’s silhouette while the other three members —Puget, Hunter Burgan (bass), and Adam Carson (drums) — are visible. No caption accompanied the photo, but now that fans know the album’s title, it makes sense; Havok is the Missing Man.

In support of the album’s December release date, AFI have announced two intimate shows; a gig at Ace of Spades in Sacramento on Dec. 9 and a show at the Observatory in San Diego on Dec. 10.

The Missing Man is the follow-up to the four-piece’s 2017 release, AFI (aka The Blood Album). The Blood Album, the band’s tenth studio album, hit the number one spot on Billboard‘s Alternative and Hard Rock Albums charts and the number five spot on the Billboard 200 chart.

The complete five-song track listing can be seen below.

THE MISSING MAN EP TRACK LIST:

01. “Trash Bat”
02. “Break Angels”
03. “Back into the Sun”
04. “Get Dark”
05. “The Missing Man”

Rise Against, AFI and Anti-Flag to embark on ‘Mourning in Amerika’ tour

AFI, Anti-Flag, and Rise Against are about to take the summer by storm. On Monday (March 26), the three bands announced a massive tour which will find the politically charged groups traveling across the country. Dubbed the “Mourning in Amerika” tour, the trek will kick off on July 28 at the RBC Echo Beach in Toronto, Ontario and conclude two months later on Sept. 30 at the FivePoint Amphitheatre in Irvine, California. The tour will take a quick break following its stop at the Osisko En Lumieres Fest in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec. The tour will commence a month later on Sept. 6 at the Armory in Minneapolis.

Pre-sales for the upcoming excursion will go on sale beginning this Thursday, March 29, at 10 a.m. local time while general tickets sales will begin on Friday, March 30, at 10 a.m. local time.

The summer/fall tour will be in support of all three groups’ recently released records. Rise Against released their eighth studio album, Wolves, in June of 2017, earning them the number nine spot on the Billboard 200 chart. Anti-Flag released their tenth studio album, American Fall in November of 2017. As for AFI, the California goths also released their tenth studio album, AFI, in January of 2017.

MOURNING IN AMERIKA TOUR DATES:

July 27 – Montréal, Quebec @ ’77 Montréal (festival)*
July 28 – Toronto, Ontario @ RBC Echo Beach +
July 29 – Portland, Maine @ State Theatre*
July 31 – Worcester, Mass. @ The Palladium*
Aug. 1 – New York, N.Y. @ Ford Amphitheater at Coney Island Boardwalk
Aug. 3 – Uncasville, Ct. @ Mohegan Sun Arena
Aug. 4 – Philadelphia, Pa. @ Festival Pier at Penn’s Landing
Aug. 5 – Asbury Park, N.J. @ Stone Pony Summer Stage
Aug. 7 – Raleigh, N.C. @ Red Hat Amphitheater
Aug. 9 – Niagara Falls, N.Y. @ Rapids Theatre*
Aug. 10 – Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec @ Osisko En Lumieres Fest*
Sept. 6 – Minneapolis, Minn. @ The Armory
Sept. 8 – Chicago, Ill. @ Wrigley Field (with Fall Out Boy)
Sept. 9 – Nashville, Tenn. @ Marathon Music Works*
Sept. 11 – Austin, Texas @ Stubb’s Bar-B-Q*
Sept. 12 – Houston, Texas @ Revention Music Center
Sept. 13 – Dallas, Texas @ Toyota Music Factory
Sept. 15 – Morrison, Colo. @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Sept. 16 – Salt Lake City, Utah @ The Complex
Sept. 17 – Boise, Idaho @ Revolution Concert House
Sept. 19 – Bozeman, Mont. @ Brick Breeden Fieldhouse
Sept. 20 – Calgary, Alberta @ Grey Eagle Event Centre +
Sept. 21 – Edmonton, Alberta @ Edmonton Expo Center, Hall B +
Sept. 23 – Vancouver British Columbia @ PNE Forum +
Sept. 24 – Seattle, Wash. @ WaMu Theater
Sept. 25 – Portland, Ore. @ Crystal Ballroom
Sept. 28 – Concord, Calif. @ Concord Pavilion
Sept. 29 – Santa Barbara, Calif. @ Santa Barbara Bowl*
Sept. 30 – Irvine, Calif. @ FivePoint Amphitheatre

+on sale to general public beginning April 6 at 10 a.m. local time

Listen: Dreamcar ‘Kill for Candy’ on new ’80s influenced track

Last year, news hit that AFI frontman Davey Havok and No Doubt members Tony Kanal, Tom Dumont, and Adrian Young has joined forces to create a new band. At the time, they didn’t have a name, but were armed with new music and looking for a record label to call home. Late last year, the band unveiled that their name would be Dreamcar and that new music would be on the horizon for them. On Thursday (March 2), the supergroup unleashed their first single from their finally confirmed debut record.
The new track, which is titled “Kill for Candy” made its official debut on KROQ 106.7 FM’s Kevin & Bean Show. During the show, Kevin and Bean spoke to Dumont who revealed that the sound was influenced by the kind of music they listened to during their teenage years. “I think the musical common ground that we share with Davey is very much rooted in that early ’80s, new wave, new romantic era that was such a part of us all growing up, so it felt like very quickly we had a chemistry,” Dumont told the radio hosts. “It was just four guys, being creative and not knowing where it was going to lead us but we kept doing it because it was fun.”

“Kill for Candy” will be featured on the band’s debut, self-titled album. Dreamcar, the album, is set to be released on May 12 through Columbia Records. Prior to the album’s release, the band have two shows scheduled; one on April 5 at the Constellation Room in Santa Ana, California and another on April 11 at the Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood. A few days after their Hollywood show the group will pack their bags and head to the desert for their music festival debut at Coachella. Dreamcar will perform during both weekends of Coachella (April 14-16 and April 21-23).

Inaugural When We Were Young Festival unveils its nostalgic lineup

Music festival season is slowly approaching and it seems like every other day we’re getting lineup announcement or new music festival revelations. Now, we’ve gotten word that California will be getting a brand new music festival set to take this spring. On Tuesday (Feb. 7), the inaugural When We Were Young Music Festival was announced.

In addition to the inception announcement, the festival also unveiled its lineup which seems to be offering something that most 20-somethings want; nostalgia. The inaugural lineup features some of the biggest names in the emo game including the likes of AFI, the Descendents, Taking Back Sunday, Alkaline Trio, The Get Up Kids, Pinback, and Saves the Day. Headlining the weekend-long event will be the king of emo, Morrissey.

Cage the Elephant, Silversun Pickups, Streetlight Manifesto, FIDLAR, Foxygen, Joyce Manor, Set Your Goals, and a slew more are set to head to California in early April. When We Were Young is set to take place during the weekend of April 8-9 at the Observatory Grounds in Orange County, California. Tickets for the event are set to go on sale beginning this Friday, Feb. 10. For more information about the music festival or tickets, head on over to the festival’s website here while the full lineup of artists can be seen below.

Listen to AFI’s new single ‘Aurelia’

AFI surprise fans last month when they announced plans to release a brand new record at the beginning of the new year. At the time, the four-piece had confirmed the name of the album, its release date, and even gave fans not one, but two songs from the record. On Wednesday (Nov. 30), frontman Davey Havok headed over to BBC Radio 1’s the Rock Show with Daniel P. Carter to premiere “Aurelia” from AFI (The Blood Album).

While premiering the song, the DJ asked Havok about “Aurelia” and how it came to be. As it turns out, the track was one of the last songs to be composed which included 45 to 50 songs in total. Not only was it one of the last songs, it also turned out to be the quickest to come together and happened to be one of Havok’s favorites.

“It had very simple beginnings and it had very immediate results,” Havok begins. “Jade just started playing the rifts. I started singing the top line and I actually began singing some of the lyrics that I pulled out of string on consciousness and it was clear that it was something that was worth pursuing. It came together really quickly and it grew into what it is now.”

“Aurelia” and Havok’s interview can be streamed here.

“Aurelia” will join lead singles “Snow Cats” and “White Offerings” on AFI (The Blood Album) which is set to be released on Jan. 20, 2017. The album is the follow-up to groups’ 2013 release, Burials.

AFI/No Doubt supergroup announces name

At the beginning of the year, AFI frontman Davey Havok revealed he had joined forces with members of No Doubt to form a new “supergroup.” Until recently, anything concerning the still-unnamed group had been kept quiet with the exception of having a full record full of songs ready to be released. Last time Havok spoke about the project, he had said that they were in the process of finding a record label to release the album. On Thursday (Nov. 17), those following the story were finally given at least one answer to the many question that were raised about the band in early 2016.

The new group which will feature Havok as well as No Doubt members Tom Dumont, Tony Kanal, and Adrian Young will officially go by Dreamcar. While the unveiling of the group’s name is a step in the right direction, it looks like they still have not found a record label to release the new material. The supergroup’s formation was announced back in February of 2016, but since then, everything has been quiet. The only other piece of information that has been given besides the name of the act and the members’ identities is that they are aiming for a 2017 release date.

While everything is quiet on the Dreamcar front, things for Havok and his main band, AFI are not. In late-October, the California-founded band confirmed the impending release of their tenth studio record, AFI (The Blood Album). The album, the follow-up to 213’s Burials, is set to be released on Jan. 20, 2017. In honor of the new album’s announcement, the band released two new tracks from the album; “Snow Cats” and “White Offerings.” Both track can be streamed here.

AFI announces new album with set of new tunes

Following months of teasing with short snippets, AFI has finally unveiled their big news. On Friday (Oct. 28), the California-founded band announced not only a brand new record, but also released two songs to accompany the revelation. Over the course of the past week, the teasing had reached an all-time high with the group promising answers at midnight on Oct. 28.

AFI’s tenth studio album will be titled AFI (The Blood Album) and is set to be released on Jan. 20, 2017. The record will mark their first to be released through Concord Records and first new set of tracks since 2013’s Burials. As if the new album’s release date and title wasn’t enough, the group also unveiled two songs from the pending studio album. Listen to “White Offerings” and “Snow Cats” below.

The confirmation of the new music comes after much speculation among fans after the band posted short snippets of new songs on social media. Following the cryptic clips’ debut, the band also changed their profile photos to a black image and erased everything from their Instagram page with the exception of the teasers. The new comes almost a year after AFI bassist Hunter Burgan teased that the band would be returning. The musician’s message was simple: “I know that many of you want to know what’s up with AFI. I can’t tell you much at the moment, but we have plans for 2016. Circle that year on your calendars.”

Earlier this year, frontman Davey Havok made headlines when it was announced that he had joined forces with No Doubt members Tom Dumont, Tony Kanal, and Adrian Young to form a supergroup. At the time, it was teased that they had a full record worth of songs, but that they were in the process of looking for a record label to release the music.

In April, Havok’s electronic side project with AFI guitarist Jade Puget, Blaqk Audio, released their sophomore album, Material.

Blaqk Audio release new single, “Waiting to Be Told”

AFI frontman Davey Havok has always been a busy man, but this year, it seems like he’s got more on his plate. Earlier this year, it was announced that he had joined forces with Tom Dumont, Tony Kanal, and Adrian Young from No Doubt to form a supergroup. The group, which still does not have a name, was shopping around for a record label armed with a completed album. A couple of days after, Havok announced that Blaqk Audio, his electronic side project with AFI bassist Jade Puget, would be releasing a new album this spring. Now, we’ve gotten a new song from the duo’s upcoming release.

On Thursday (March 31), Havok joined forces with Billboard to premiere a brand new song titled “Waiting to Be Told.” In conjunction with the song’s released, Havok sat down with the publication to discuss several things including the inspiration behind the song and what is it like to work with the guys from No Doubt.

About “Waiting to Be Told”: “It is the opening track on the record and it really harkens back to a genre that very much influenced Jade and I and that really was a genre that inspired us to start moving on creating Blaqk Audio, which was, at this point, 15 years ago, believe it or not. Around the turn of the century there were so many great artists making so much great music and “Waiting To Be Told,” to me, really spoke to that genre of music and that period of time in my life. Though that period of time in my life is a type of anchor for me lyrically speaking it’s a song of feeling displaced and feeling out of place. So it is a contrast, when I actually articulate that I realize that. But I am so excited for you guys to be premiering it ’cause it is the opening to the record.”

About working with the guys of No Doubt: “Those guys approached me to work with them and I was really honored that they would even consider me. And when we started writing it was just sparks and it’s been great working with them. Like I said it’s a little premature to talk about it, so I can’t go too deep into it. It doesn’t sound like any of the music I’ve worked on before. I can’t say what it sounds like, so it is another outlet for me that is very inspirational and fulfilling.

To read the complete interview, head on over to Billboard here. “Waiting to Be Told” can currently be streamed below.

“Waiting to Be Told” will be featured on Blaqk Audio’s new record, Material. Material is set to be released on April 15 which will be followed by a tour. The tour will kick off on May 4 at the House of Blues in San Diego and wrap up on June 4 at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, CA. Tour dates can be seen here.

Members of AFI and No Doubt Form Supergroup

AFI and No Doubt? No, this isn’t a random coupling for a tour, rather, it looks like it might be the latest supergroup formation. On Thursday (Feb. 11), Billboard released an article about the formation of a yet-to-be-named band which will feature members of No Doubt and AFI. AFI frontman Davey Havok and No Doubt members Tom Dumont, Tony Kanal, and Adrian Young have reportedly already recorded an album and are currently shopping it around to record labels. While they have no label or official band name, they’ve already enlisted Green Day’s manager, Pat Magnarella, to manage them.

The report comes a few days after No Doubt frontwoman, Gwen Stefani revealed that she would be releasing her third, solo full-length record, This is What the Truth Feels Like in the spring. The new album is scheduled to hit stores on March 18. While there is no official word on whether this might be the end of No Doubt, it sounds like the California band will be put on pause once again.

In an interview with Billboard back in 2015, Young mirrored the sentiments about the band’s status. “We’re in a little bit of limbo right now,” he said, “so we’ll see where that takes us.”

As for Havok, the AFI singer has been involved in many music projects over the last couple of years. In 2014, the singer and fellow AFI bandmate, Jade Puget, formed XTRMST. Then, in December of 2015, bassist Hunter Burgan teased that the band would be returning with a simple message that read: “I know that many of you want to know what’s up with AFI. I can’t tell you much at the moment, but we have plans for 2016. Circle that year on your calendars.” In addition to that, their seventh studio album, Decemberunderground, will officially turn ten this summer.