It seemingly took The Amity Affliction years to get their music together, releasing a demo in 2003 and a self-titled EP in 2004, but from the moment they released their High Hopes EP in 2007, the touring rampage began. In no time, The Amity Affliction was a household name amongst the hardcore community of Australia. Their mixture of metallic riffage, rock swagger and sing/scream vocal attacks made its mark on all who got in their way.
But it’s not just their music that people have taken notice of – Amity (as they are affectionately known) have an attitude and aura about their music and actions that has helped propel them even faster to the forefront of the scene. Fans come to their shows expecting flat out fun and excitement – the members always committing to making the party after the show as intense as the performance itself. The sing-along chants don’t end when the band gets off stage, and fans don’t leave after they play. With members involved in putting on punk rock clubs, music magazines, graffiti magazines, graphic design companies and online blogs that are well known throughout the country, Amity and it’s members are well ingrained into the culture and ethic of Australian hardcore culture.
‘Severed Ties’ was recorded in July and August of 2008, a grueling cross-country marathon of a record, recorded in Adelaide, Melbourne and Brisbane to get the best results. With guest vocals from JJ Peters (Deez Nuts, I Killed the Prom Queen), Michael Crafter (I Killed the Prom Queen, Carpathian, Confession), Matthew Wright (The Getaway Plan) and Helmet (The Daylight Curse), and production with Adelaide’s Darren Thompson, the 11 track full length was released in October 2008.
Severed Ties debuted at #26 on the Australian Charts and solidified The Amity Affliction as one of the most popular "heavy" bands in Australia. Triple J's national radio show "Short Fast Loud" had Severed Ties as #2 on their best albums of 2008, and popular punk site "KillYourStereo.com" listed it as #1.
In mid 2010 the band released their sophmore record 'Youngbloods'. The album debuted at #6 on the ARIA charts and has since gained significant recognition with the album constantly being voted #1 for 2010 by the public and recognized magazines alike, beating out Parkway Drive's 'Deep Blue' on many occasions. The album saw Amity's popularity sky rocket as the band has since done a sold-out national tour, tour the UK,US and Europe as well as playing the Soundwave Festival. The band is set to go on their largest tour to date with the Destroy Music Tour during May.
In October, The Amity Affliction set out on a new Australian tour with support from Asking Alexandria and Skyway! the "Fuck the Reaper" tour sold out in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. starting 2012 off with a bang, The Amity Affliction toured the 2012 Big Day Out, with fellow label mates and good friends The Getaway Plan, before touring America alongside Asking Alexandria, Trivium and may others on the "Still Reckless Tour"
On 8 February 2012 it was announced that The Amity Affliction had been signed to Roadrunner Records for their next album and future. On 7 May 2012, the band headed over to Orlando, Florida to start recording their third album with producer Michael Baskette. On 7 June 2012 it was announced the band's 3rd album would be titled Chasing Ghosts and was set to be released on 7 September 2012 in Australia, 17 September for the UK, and 18 September for the US.
It was revealed in a news article and magazine cover posted on 13/14 August that guitarist Imran Siddiqi would no longer be a part of the band. Furthermore, Siddiqi then did not appear in the video clip for the single "Chasing Ghosts" released on 15 August. A fill in guitarist played their album tour and U.S tour in late 2012.
After the release of Chasing Ghosts, the band had an Australian nationwide tour in September–October promoting their new album with supporting acts The Ghost Inside, Architects and Buried In Verona. Amity appeared on Soundwave in 2013 in February–March and also Warped Tour Australia at the end of the year.
It was announced by Joel Birch on 24 March 2013 that Dan Brown was the new guitarist, although he did not appear on the "Open Letter" music video.
In 2013 The Amity Affliction was part of Warped Tour in the United States with Chad Hasty (Glass Cloud) on drums and percussion due to Ryan Burt severely damaging his cornea during a set in Portland, Oregon. Later in the tour vocalist Joel Birch was also hospitalized due to unspecified illness, forcing the band to cancel their set in Pittsburgh. The band's next show in Cleveland was played due to the help of Sam Carter (Architects), Jason Aalon Butler (Letlive.) and Chris Roetter (Like Moths To Flames) sharing the stage as replacement vocals for Joel. All shows after this were played with Joel back on vocals after his recovery.
Late in 2013 the band went on to play the "Brothers In Arms" tour across Europe and Australia with support acts Landscapes and In Hearts Wake for the European portion and Chelsea Grin, Stick To Your Guns and In Hearts Wake for the Australian segment. In late 2013, the band released a demo of the song "Cave In". The single was speculated to be featured on the upcoming album. However, this was proved false when the band announced the track list for their upcoming fourth studio album. The first single from the bands forthcoming album titled "Pittsburgh" was released on 14 April. The second single "Don't Lean On Me" was released on 15 May. The album itself, titled Let the Ocean Take Me, was released on 6 June in Australia, 9 June in the UK, and 10 June in the U.S. it debuted at No. 1 on the Australian ARIA albums chart, becoming the band's second consecutive No. 1.
On 11 October, lead guitarist Troy Brady announced that he had decided to leave the band, making Ahren Stringer the only original member left in the band.
On 18 May 2015, The Amity Affliction released a trailer for their upcoming documentary film titled Seems Like Forever on YouTube. The video description contains links to pre-order the film, released on 10 July 2015 as a stand-alone DVD or a deluxe two-disc edition CD version of Let the Ocean Take Me, including two unreleased tracks, "Skeletons" (featured in the trailer) and "Farewell".
On 18 May 2016, The Amity Affliction posted a video to their Facebook page announcing their fifth studio album, This Could Be Heartbreak. It was also announced that the album would be released on 12 August and the band also released the music video for the first single, "I Bring the Weather with Me". The song also features clean vocals from Joel Birch. . On 10 July the band released their second single for the album, the title track "This Could Be Heartbreak" along with a music video. On 9 August, the band released a lyric video for the song "All Fucked Up" on YouTube. The band was also featured on the Fearless compilation Punk Goes Pop Vol. 7, covering The Weeknd's hit song "Can't Feel My Face". A music video for the cover was released on 22 June 2017. The Amity Affliction officially announced that Ryan Burt departed from the band due to mental health concerns on February 5, 2018.
On 20 June 2018, The Amity Affliction released the first single, "Ivy (Doomsday)", from their upcoming sixth studio album, Misery. The band announced that the album will be released on 24 August through Roadrunner Records. The band released an official video along with the release of "Ivy (Doomsday)". The band released the song "Feels Like I'm Dying" as a second part to the "Ivy (Doomsday)" video. The official track listing was eventually revealed on the band's website. It is their 4th album in a row to hit #1 on the Aria Albums Chart.
Two years later the band returned with Everyone Loves You... Once You Leave Them, their first studio LP with new drummer Joe Longobardi.
Discography:
Early Demos (2004) (EP)
The Amity Affliction (2005) (EP)
High Hopes (2007) (EP)
Severed Ties (2008)
Youngbloods (2010)
Glory Days (2010) (Compilation Album)
Chasing Ghosts (2012)
Let The Ocean Take Me (2014)
This Could Be Heartbreak (2016)
Misery (2018)
Everyone Loves You... Once You Leave Them (2020)
Somewhere Beyond The Blue (2021) (EP)
Not Without My Ghosts (2023)
Members:
Joel Birch - Unclean Vocals (2004-present)
Ahren Stringer - Clean Vocals/Bass (2003-present)
Dan Brown - Rhythm, later lead guitar (2013-present)
Joe Longobardi - Drums (2018-present)
Troy Brady - Lead Guitar (2003-2009, 2011-2014)
Clint Owen Ellis - Lead Guitar (2009-2011)
Trad Nathan - Keyboards (2006-2011)
Ryan Burt - Drums (2008-2018)
Troels Thomasen - Drums (2005-2008)
Drag the Lake
The Amity Affliction Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Drag the lake
You won't find me
I've been tempting fate
With my heart beside me
I am the stone below the water
Just when you think I can't get lower
I turn my back and fuck it up
You can drag the lake
But you won't find me
You can drag the lake
But you won't find me
So come and drag the lake
You see I've done some diving
I have some extra weight
With no one to untie me
I am the stone below the water
Cold and hard to touch
Just when you think I can't get lower
I turn my back and fuck it up
You can drag the lake
But you won't find me
You can drag the lake
But you won't find me
I'll stare into the sun
To burn out what I've done
I'll tear myself apart
To see what I've become
Nothing wrong with my depression
My sick and miserable obsession
If I could only get some space
If I could only learn my lesson
(If I could only learn my lesson)
You can drag the lake
But you won't find me
You can drag the lake
But you won't find me
You can drag the lake
But you won't find me
You can drag the lake
But you won't find me
The lyrics of The Amity Affliction's song Drag the Lake refer to the artist's state of mind, depression, and self-loathing. The song begins with the lines "Drag the lake, You won't find me", which could be interpreted as the artist's way of saying that they have already hit rock bottom in their life and mind, and nobody can find them there.
The sentiment gets supported by the next line, "I've been tempting fate with my heart beside me" suggesting that the artist's life has been a bit of adversity, a fight with himself, despite his heart being in the right place. As the song progresses, the artist compares himself to "the stone below the water, cold and hard to touch" implying the mental state he's in, numb and unfeeling. However, the phrase "Just when you think I can't get lower, I turn my back and fuck it up" highlights how nothing can go right in his life, every attempt to come up just fails miserably.
Towards the end of the song, The Amity Affliction's frontman Joel Birch seems to be well acquainted with his condition, referring to it as "my sick and miserable obsession", indicating how depression is not just an episode in his life but an integral part of his being. The phrase "If I could only get some space, If I could only learn my lesson" implies that even though he is self- aware of his condition, there is nothing much he can do about it.
In conclusion, Drag the Lake is a powerful song that shines a light on mental health issues and depression that often go unnoticed in the society we live in.
Line by Line Meaning
Kick it
Let's start this song
Drag the lake
Even if you search for me intensely
You won't find me
You won't find me because I am lost
I've been tempting fate
I've been testing how far I can go
With my heart beside me
But it's an emotional weight I can't escape
I am the stone below the water
I am hidden and difficult to reach
Cold and hard to touch
I am numb and closed off
Just when you think I can't get lower
Just when you think I can't go further down
I turn my back and fuck it up
I make things worse for myself
So come and drag the lake
If you want to search for me, go ahead
You see I've done some diving
But I've already explored the depths
I have some extra weight
And I carry a heavy burden with me
With no one to untie me
Without anyone to help me let go
I'll stare into the sun
I'll face my problems head-on
To burn out what I've done
To purge myself of my mistakes
I'll tear myself apart
I'll destroy myself in the process
To see what I've become
To understand how I got here
Nothing wrong with my depression
I am not ashamed of my struggles
My sick and miserable obsession
Even if it hurts me, I can't let go
If I could only get some space
If only I could distance myself from my problems
If I could only learn my lesson
If only I could learn from my mistakes
You can drag the lake
But don't expect to find me
But you won't find me
I am lost in my own struggles
Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Ahren Charles Stringer, Daniel Kenneth Brown, Eric Taft, Joel Fletcher C Birch, Matthew Squire
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@hamzaheravi2944
this is so underrated. That chorus is literally angelic
@theHighlightR33L
Definitely my favourite on the album.
@austinhoward8291
Fuck yeah this an ivy idgaf what anyone says amity always has fucking bangers
@spicychickenstripz7704
@@aarongilbertson1670 oh ya. They received wayy to much hate for this
@XxS1NxX
@@aarongilbertson1670 This album was fucking amazing. I'll admit when I first listened I was like wtf is this but the more I listened the more I realized this is Amity and this whole fucking album is bangers!!!
@BH-ix7nq
Idk what drag the lake means but i love this song
@andig2218
Who’s here 2024
@dierussmon
Yeeeeee
@user-fp6lw8tf5g
Oh yeah
@sarahs2027
Yessum!