Counterparts formed in Hamilton, Ontario in 2007.[7] Counterparts consisted of vocalist Brendan Murphy, guitarist Jesse Doreen, guitarist Curtis Washik, bassist Eric Bazinet, and drummer Ryan Juntilla. In 2009, Washik departed from the band, and Alex Re joined the band temporarily as their guitarist before becoming their permanent guitarist. In March 2009 Counterparts toured Canada. In 2010 Shane Told, from the band Silverstein, signed them to his Verona Records label.
Lead vocalist Brendan Murphy was featured on the song "The Artist" on Silverstein's fifth album, Rescue. He also appeared in their music video.
The band's debut album Prophets was released 23 February 2010 on label Verona Records. In 2010, Juntilla left the band, and was replaced by Chris Needham. A split EP, featuring Needham on drums was released 21 November 2010 with hardcore punk band Exalt. The band toured North America in support of the album, which was inspired by Mussy.
In spring of 2011, the band was signed to Victory Records. The band continued to tour until the summer of 2011, when they announced that they were recording a new album. During this time, Needham left the band to see a speech therapist. A search for their next drummer was started, but ultimately, Juntilla rejoined the band, just in time to start recording for their second album, The Current Will Carry Us. The album was released 24 October 2011 on Victory. A music video was released for the song "Jumping Ship".
Kyle Brownlee, formerly of Canadian deathcore band Majesty, filled in for Juntilla for the entirety of the band's Canadian headliner tour, later on in summer of 2012, it was announced that Juntilla departed from Counterparts because he no longer wanted to be a part of the band. Days after the announcement, bassist Eric Bazinet commented on his Tumblr page that Juntilla had left the band in February and most of the members have not spoken to him since then. He had left to pursue interests in a band he was in during Counterparts. Bazinet added that on their last tour with Juntilla, "he was especially uninterested."
The band's third album The Difference Between Hell and Home was released on 24 July 2013 to positive critical reception. A music video for the track "Witness" was posted ten days prior to the release of the album.
In late 2013, guitarist Alex Re posted on his personal Facebook page that he had left Counterparts and would be playing his last show with the band at their hometown show in December. He was later replaced by Adrian Lee. In 2014, bassist Eric Bazinet announced that after seven years, he was leaving the band to pursue a career, and to spend time with family. After Bazinet's departure, Blake Hardman from Hundredth filled in on bass for the band on the "Fuck the Message Tour" that was headlined by Stick to Your Guns. Shortly afterwards, the guitarist of Kills and Thrills, Brian Kaczmarczyk, joined on bass, becoming the only non-Canadian member of the band.
In the spring of 2015, vocalist Brendan Murphy announced in an interview that their fourth album, Tragedy Will Find Us, is expected to be released in the summer of 2015. On 23 April, the band announced that they have signed to Pure Noise Records, and New Damage Records. Pure Noise will released the album in the U.S., while New Damage released it in Canada. The fourth album was released in July 2015. Tyler Williams, a bandmate of Hardman's in Nashville hardcore act on Point, also joined the band during this period. It was announced in March 2017 the band would play the 22nd annual Vans Warped Tour.
The band's fifth album, You're Not You Anymore, was released on 22 September 2017 via New Damage and Pure Noise Records. They have also shared singles from the album, called Haunt Me, Bouquet, and No Servant of Mine. "You're Not You Anymore" was the first recorded effort without the participation of Doreen due to his departure from Counterparts.
The band released their sixth studio album, Nothing Left to Love, on 1 November 2019 via New Damage and Pure Noise Records. The record marks the return of guitarist and backing vocalist Alex Re. "Nothing Left to Love" was the band's first record to break into the top 100 of the Billboard 200 charts, peaking at 97.
On May 31, 2022 Counterparts announced on all social media platforms their seventh studio album A Eulogy for Those Still Here due for release on October 7, 2022 through Pure Noise Records. The first single "Unwavering Vow" was released on June 1, 2022. The second single "Whispers Of Your Death" was released on July 26, 2022, and was written about Brendan Murphy's cat Kuma. The third single "Bound to The Burn" was released on September 7, 2022.
Current Members
Brendan Murphy β lead vocals (2007βpresent)
Alex Re β guitar, backing vocals, clean vocals (2009β2013; 2019βpresent)
Kyle Brownlee β drums, percussion (2012, 2016, 2017βpresent)
Tyler Williams β bass guitar, backing vocals (2017βpresent)
Jesse Doreen β guitar (2007β2016, 2021βpresent)
Former Members:
Curtis Washik β rhythm guitar (2007β2009)
Chris Needham β drums, percussion (2010β2011)
Ryan Juntilla β drums, percussion (2007β2010; 2011β2012)
Adrian Lee β rhythm guitar (2013β2019), bass (2017)
Eric Bazinet β bass (2007β2014)
Brian Kaczmarczyk β bass guitar (2014β2017)
Ben Leathem β drums, percussion (2016β2017)
Kelly Bilan β drums, percussion (2012β2016)
Blake Hardman β guitar, backing vocals (2016β2021), bass (2014, 2017)
Digression
Counterparts Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the space between us growing ever greater makes it hard for me to breathe.
But no amount of distance can change my feelings for you.
How can it be that a day I've always dreamed of,
Could also be a day that I wished would never come?
And we are slowly becoming two very different people,
But I won't give you up without a fight.
This is everything I've ever meant to say to you.
But I'll still see you when I close my eyes.
We've come too far to let our story end like this,
And we've come too far to let what we've built fall apart.
We both know this is love. I will never forget you.
In the song Digression by Counterparts, the lyrics talk about a couple that has grown apart and the challenges that it has brought upon them. The opening lines speak of a once-solid path that they both shared, which has now started to diverge. The distance between them has made it hard for the singer to breathe, but their feelings for each other remain unchanged. The singer then goes on to express their confusion about how on one hand, they've always dreamt of this day, but on the other hand, they never wanted it to happen. As the song progresses, the singer acknowledges that they are slowly becoming two very different people, but they are not willing to give up without a fight. They express their love for their partner and state that they will not forget them, even if they're thousands of miles away.
This song is incredibly emotional and touches on the struggles that many couples face when they grow apart. The lyrics are poignant and thought-provoking, and the melancholic melody adds to the overall feeling of sadness and despair. It's a beautiful reminder of the power of love and how even when things seem to fall apart, it's possible to fight for what you believe in.
Line by Line Meaning
Our once-solid path is starting to diverge
The path we were once on together is now starting to separate.
And the space between us growing ever greater makes it hard for me to breathe.
The distance between us is getting bigger and it's making me feel suffocated.
But no amount of distance can change my feelings for you.
No matter how far apart we are, my love for you will remain unchanged.
How can it be that a day I've always dreamed of,
I can't believe that a day I've always wanted to happen is now causing me pain.
Could also be a day that I wished would never come?
It's hard to accept that a day I've waited for so long could also bring such sadness.
And we are slowly becoming two very different people,
We are changing in ways that are causing us to become more distant from each other.
But I won't give you up without a fight.
I'm not going to let our love die without doing everything I can to save it.
This is everything I've ever meant to say to you.
These words express all of my true feelings that I've never been able to say before now.
You could be thousands of miles away,
Even if you're far away from me,
But I'll still see you when I close my eyes.
I'll always remember you in my mind and heart.
We've come too far to let our story end like this,
We've been through so much together and we shouldn't let it end in this way.
And we've come too far to let what we've built fall apart.
We've worked too hard to let our relationship crumble and disappear.
We both know this is love. I will never forget you.
We understand that what we have is true love, and I'll always remember you for that.
Contributed by Leo E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
GmodCat
Our once-solid path is starting to diverge
And the space between us growing ever greater makes it hard for me to breathe.
But no amount of distance can change my feelings for you.
How can it be that a day I've always dreamed of,
Could also be a day that I wished would never come?
And we are slowly becoming two very different people,
But I won't give you up without a fight.
This is everything I've ever meant to say to you.
You could be thousands of miles away,
But I'll still see you when I close my eyes.
We've come too far to let our story end like this,
And we've come too far to let what we've built fall apart.
We both know this is love. I will never forget you.
Brandon Reich
Still one of my favorites after all these years, these guys always make me feel something.
dbarneh81
One of the most honest bands I've ever had the pleasure of hearing and definitely one of my favorites. Lyrically and musically untouchable. Let's make these guys famous. Game?
Iilly Marie
I hold this song very near to my Heart so much emotion and passion into this itβs beautiful
Dead Pixel
Love their newer stuff , but Don't think they'll ever write a better song then this
IKEA Facial
dude check out Solace from TWFU;)
mfadel1012
Last track from every each album always full of emotions, Digression (Prophets), Reflexion (TCWCU), Soil (TDBHAH), Solace (TWFU), and You're not you anymore (YNYA).
Diego Orbegoso
I started to dig this band as song as the first note played, so I downloaded the whole album. Then I listened to all of it, and questioned my idiotic self, so I bought it. All their albums are worth being bought. Such a good band, they need more support!!
[REDACTED]
One of the greatest melodic hardcore songs in all existence. By far.
Vin
This song really touches my heart right now. I relate to it so much. Im going to college soon and my girlfriend is still going to be in high school, and I have pretty much quoted lines of this song when weve talked about what were going to do when that time comes. 'no amount of distance can change my feelings for you'
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It would be interesting to know, after almost 10 years, are you still together? And is there still interest in the Counterparts?))