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 – lead vocals (2007–present)
Alex Re – guitar, backing vocals, clean vocals (2009–2013; 2019–present)
Kyle Brownlee – drums, percussion (2012, 2016, 2017–present)
Tyler Williams – bass guitar, backing vocals (2017–present)
Jesse Doreen – guitar (2007–2016, 2021–present)
Former Members:
Curtis Washik – rhythm guitar (2007–2009)
Chris Needham – drums, percussion (2010–2011)
Ryan Juntilla – drums, percussion (2007–2010; 2011–2012)
Adrian Lee – rhythm guitar (2013–2019), bass (2017)
Eric Bazinet – bass (2007–2014)
Brian Kaczmarczyk – bass guitar (2014–2017)
Ben Leathem – drums, percussion (2016–2017)
Kelly Bilan – drums, percussion (2012–2016)
Blake Hardman – guitar, backing vocals (2016–2021), bass (2014, 2017)
Witness
Counterparts Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The man behind the masquerade,
I am my own false witness
Fact resides solely in the depths of my mind...
and will I ever really let it come to surface?
You only see what I want you to see
And you believe all that you're told
Serenity is a beautiful hoax a liar
I have the whole world convinced of my contentment
No truth in this, I've lost count of all the times
I made it home alive and wished I hadn't
Expose me for all that I am
The man behind the masquerade, I am my own false witness
I'm left to conquer the mountains in my mind, and I am my maker
Life is what's killing me
I hate the fact that I'm just fine
Forever seeking anything to take responsibility
Life is what's killing me (life is what's killing me)
I hate the fact that I'm alive
Forever searching for my scapegoat because I refuse to face reality
At least I can say I tried
to cherish every single day when I woke up and didn't want to die
I'd work my hands down to the bone
trying to stay suspended in those specific seconds
But I know I'd just be counting down the minutes until I'm miserable again
In the song "Witness" by Counterparts, the singer is revealing his true self to the world. The first line of the song, "Expose me for all that I am," sets the tone for the rest of the song as the singer speaks about the person he is and the person he wants people to believe he is. He refers to himself as the man behind the masquerade and acknowledges that he is his own false witness. The singer is admitting that he often puts up a facade and only lets people see what he wants them to see.
The second verse speaks to the fact that the singer is haunted by his inner demons. He tries to keep them hidden but knows that they are always there, lurking in the depths of his mind. The singer is questioning whether he will ever be able to come to terms with these issues and bring them to the surface. He acknowledges that others only see what he wants them to see and that they believe whatever he tells them.
The rest of the song covers themes of contentment, responsibility, and the search for happiness. The singer is uncomfortable with the fact that he is often content with life, even though he knows that it isn't real. He wishes that he could take responsibility for his actions and the way his life is, but he is constantly searching for someone else to blame. Ultimately, the singer is left trying to make the most of every moment, even when he knows that misery is right around the corner.
Line by Line Meaning
Expose me for all that I am
I want to be seen for who I really am, not just the facade I put on
The man behind the masquerade, I am my own false witness
I'm the one hiding behind a fake persona, and I'm the one lying to myself about it
Fact resides solely in the depths of my mind...
The truth is within my thoughts, but it's hard to admit it to myself
and will I ever really let it come to surface?
I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to reveal the truth, even to myself
You only see what I want you to see
I control what others perceive about me
And you believe all that you're told
Others trust me without questioning, despite the facade I present
Serenity is a beautiful hoax a liar
The idea of peace and calm is false and deceiving
I have the whole world convinced of my contentment
I've made others believe that I'm happy, when in reality, I'm not
No truth in this, I've lost count of all the times
I've lied so much about being content that I can't even remember how many times I've done it
I made it home alive and wished I hadn't
Sometimes I regret being alive, even though I appear to have everything together
I'm left to conquer the mountains in my mind, and I am my maker
I'm the only one who can overcome the struggles in my mind, and I'm the one who created them
Life is what's killing me
Existing is difficult and draining for me
I hate the fact that I'm just fine
I'm unhappy with the way things are, but it's hard to change them
Forever seeking anything to take responsibility
I look for excuses to blame my problems on, instead of facing them myself
Forever searching for my scapegoat because I refuse to face reality
I don't want to admit that I'm the reason for my own problems
At least I can say I tried
I can take solace in knowing that I made an effort
to cherish every single day when I woke up and didn't want to die
I try to appreciate the rare moments of happiness that I experience
I'd work my hands down to the bone
I'll do anything to make those moments last
trying to stay suspended in those specific seconds
Hoping to cling onto the good moments for as long as possible
But I know I'd just be counting down the minutes until I'm miserable again
Unfortunately, the happiness is always temporary and I'll eventually return to feeling miserable
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Eric James John Bazinet, Kelly Alexander Bilan, Jesse Diamond Doreen, Brendan Murphy, Alexander John Re
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mike E
LYRICS:
Expose me for all that I am
The man behind the masquerade
I am my own false witness
Fact resides solely in the depths of my mind
And will I ever really let it come to surface?
You only see what I want you to see
And you believe all that you're told
Serenity is a beautiful hoax, a liar
I have the whole world convinced of my contentment
No truth in this
I've lost count of all the times I've made it home alive...
And wished I hadn't
Expose me for all that I am
The man behind the masquerade
I am my own false witness
I'm left to conquer the mountains in my mind
And I am my maker
Life is what's killing me
I hate the fact that I'm just fine
Forever seeking anything to take responsibility
Life is what's killing me
I hate the fact that I'm alive
Forever searching for my scapegoat because
I refuse to face reality
At least I can say I tried to cherish
Every single day when I woke up and didn't want to die
I'd work my hands to the bone
Trying to stay suspended in those specific seconds
But I know I'm just counting down the minutes
Until I'm miserable again
Matthew Bouchard
LYRICS
Expose me for all that I am
The man behind the masquerade,
I am my own false witness
Fact resides solely in the depths of my mind…
and will I ever really let it come to surface?
You only see what I want you to see
And you believe all that you’re told
Serenity is a beautiful hoax a liar
I have the whole world convinced of my contentment
No truth in this, I’ve lost count of all the times
I made it home alive and wished I hadn’t
Expose me for all that I am
The man behind the masquerade, I am my own false witness
I’m left to conquer the mountains in my mind, and I am my maker
Life is what’s killing me
I hate the fact that I’m just fine
Forever seeking anything to take responsibility
Life is what’s killing me (life is what’s killing me)
I hate the fact that I’m alive
Forever searching for my scapegoat because I refuse to face reality
At least I can say I tried
to cherish every single day when I woke up and didn’t want to die
I’d work my hands down to the bone
trying to stay suspended in those specific seconds
But I know I’d just be counting down the minutes until I’m miserable again
Mathijs Tieken
Never been much of a lyric person, I usually just listen to the music and take the lyrics for granted. Just read the lyrics to this song and it hit me to the core. I've been dealing with depression for quite some time, and all of this is so painfully recognisable to me, it's like I could've written these exact same lyrics. Thank you guys for expressing what I fail to express so often, I am in your debt.
Ian Wilmot
this album is what made me go to my dr and get a diagnosis/get on brain meds
Ricardo Fazenda
+Mathijs Tieken indeed. what it is with this band.
LgCyCLAN
@Michael Michaelson you posted that about a week ago week ago
Michael Michaelson
feel the same exact way bro what is it about this band????
Miranduhhhh
"Lost count of all the times i made it home alive and wish I hadn't." these lyrics i swear are everything. so glad I found this band.
Mike E
LYRICS:
Expose me for all that I am
The man behind the masquerade
I am my own false witness
Fact resides solely in the depths of my mind
And will I ever really let it come to surface?
You only see what I want you to see
And you believe all that you're told
Serenity is a beautiful hoax, a liar
I have the whole world convinced of my contentment
No truth in this
I've lost count of all the times I've made it home alive...
And wished I hadn't
Expose me for all that I am
The man behind the masquerade
I am my own false witness
I'm left to conquer the mountains in my mind
And I am my maker
Life is what's killing me
I hate the fact that I'm just fine
Forever seeking anything to take responsibility
Life is what's killing me
I hate the fact that I'm alive
Forever searching for my scapegoat because
I refuse to face reality
At least I can say I tried to cherish
Every single day when I woke up and didn't want to die
I'd work my hands to the bone
Trying to stay suspended in those specific seconds
But I know I'm just counting down the minutes
Until I'm miserable again
Robert From The High and Lowlands
Brendan is such a talented lyricist. How he uses his lyrics in songs is quite unique imo.
Level100Togepi
God level writing since day one.
Villainous
tbh this band and the music they create and specifically this video is like a weird manifestation of what I feel. all the anger, sadness, weakness, and depression always kept inside never wanting to let it come to surface. because of this life I lead I have thought of suicide way too much. so when I can finally be in peace, I'm happy, "but I know I'm just counting down the minutes till I'm miserable again"