This year, Silverstein are celebrating their 20th anniversary with the release of their latest full-length, A Beautiful Place To Drown, out now from UNFD. The long-running band have been staying busying despite their tour plans being postponed, and today they’re back to share an alternate version of album stand-out “Infinite” recorded entirely during quarantine. This new take fully reimagines the song as a smoldering pop gem, highlighting Silverstein’s willingness to push their sound while always preserving the emotional core that’s made them one of their scene’s most beloved bands.
Silverstein have also announced a drive-in concert event on September 25th at the Ancaster Fairgrounds in Ontario, details and tickets are available here.
Many of A Beautiful Place To Drown’s lyrics focus on everyday mental health challenges and “Infinite” seems have taken on new meaning in the wake of the pandemic. For the song’s accompanying video Silverstein reached out to their fans, opening up the phone lines for them to relay messages of how they’re feeling during quarantine. Excerpts from the messages are played along with the music video’s footage of empty and eerily calm locations in the band’s home country of Canada. Silverstein guitarist Paul Marc Rousseau discussed the new version of “Infinite” and how the song’s evolving meaning, saying:
“‘Infinite’ was born in the black hole of anxiety—unable to remember ‘normal,’ the fear of not knowing when the feeling will end, or if it will end at all. I think everyone has experienced that type of anxiety to some extent, and for me being locked down in the early stages of Covid-19 poured gas on the fire. Facets of anxiety that once felt difficult to name or truly pin down slowly became concrete, tangible things. The sadness I was experiencing was no longer abstract or personalized, it was something practically everyone on Earth was relating to in real time. As days became weeks and weeks became months, it was hard, if not impossible, to see any light at the end of the tunnel. I love the album version of ‘Infinite.’ It screams into the void. It captures the emotional and physical frustration, the anger of being trapped in an anxious loop. But as of late, I feel more sadness than anger, and I thought ‘Infinite’—which for months now has felt more relevant than I ever could have known—could be rearranged to feel more like I feel.”
The band also discussed their upcoming drive-in show in a statement, saying:
“We are thrilled to announce a real LIVE concert that we are performing this month! This will be the first time we’ve taken the stage since March and we’re so excited. Live concerts are the backbone of our industry and especially our band, so this opportunity means a lot to us! We look forward to sharing it with you for one evening under the stars. Safety is our top priority which is why we’re using the drive-in format, keeping fans in their cars / spaced out. We will be on stage, and fans will be able to tune-in with their car’s FM radio. There will also be 2 x 40’ video screens beside the stage so you’ll have an even better view. See you there!”
A Beautiful Place To Drown debuted on seven Billboard charts (including #122 Top 200, #5 Rock Albums, and #3 Current Alternative) and fittingly encapsulates the best of Silverstein while pushing their sound into daring new territory. The band may be proud torchbearers of the emo and post-hardcore scenes but appearances from artists that range from Princess Nokia to Underoath’s Aaron Gillespie, Beartooth’s Caleb Shomo, Simple Plan’s Pierre Bouvier, and more, are indicative of Silverstein’s wide-reaching impact and their ability to reach listeners in all worlds of music. “Infinite” is the second reimagining of a song from A Beautiful Place To Drown, following the alternate version of “Where Are You.” The band also released the “Quaranstein” video and put its performances out as a digital EP (with all proceeds going to the NAACP and Black Legal Action Centre).