Silverstein at Vinyl Music Hall

Few bands on their 22ndlap around the scene could claim to be in “just getting started” mode as muchas punk stalwarts Silverstein.

The release of theirtenth studio album, Misery Made Me, finds the group springboarding off the heights they’ve reached over the past handful of years; their latestalbum (2020’s A Beautiful Place To Drown)adding 80 Millionstreams to a mind-numbing career total of 500 Million; it collecting anomination for Rock Album Of The Year at the esteemed Juno Awards; and itsmost recent headliner selling out nearly every date in elite rooms.

In bringing Misery Made Meto life Silversteinhave continued to build on theiralready-wide reaching impact.Immersing themselves in new technologies like TikTok,Discord, NFTs, the metaverse and Twitch (even holding public writing sessionswith fans over the latter) during its formation, the band have confirmed theirunique ability to adapt and connect in all cycles of their career.

Interestingly, amid all the positivityand connectivity injected into its creation there comes a dark set of themes underpinningthe album, as its title might suggest. Inspired by the past two years, MiseryMade Me is a depiction of Silverstein – and world at large’s – collectiveturmoil, frustration, and anxiety.

“I wanted to explore the meaning of ‘Misery’ as a main theme throughoutthe album,” says vocalist Shane Told. “Despite the mountains climbed andboulders pushed during recent years, we were confronted by the weight andmisery of staying relatively in the same place for a long period of time.Finding peace in the reality of this misery became important. The record isabout the acceptance of a new reality and adapting to it.”

Ultimately, MiseryMade Me finds the band trying to navigate the ever-worsening challenges ofour modern world – angst, doomscrolling, and disassociation. It’s a record thatis a product of the moment in time in which it was created yet doesn’t feellike it will date itself anytime soon, as many of its topics of loneliness,anxiety and isolation are eternal human struggles.

Exemplified by theanthemic opener ‘Our Song’, Misery Made Me is part acceptance of theband’s personal miseries, and part declaration that they will not be buried bythem. At the back end of the record lies ‘Live Like This’ (ft. nothing,nowhere.)and arguably its most bleak and haunting lyric: “I don’t want to die, but Ican’t live like this.”

Singles ‘It’s Over’and ‘Ultraviolet’ dive deeper into this feeling of desperation, describing theutter helplessness of losing control to anxiety.

“’It’s Over’ is aboutthe spiral that leads to giving up,” shares guitarist Paul Marc Rousseau. “Thoseanxiety packed hours when you can’t feel anything but the low, steady crescendoof panic that eventually gets so intense your fingertips lose sensation. It’shopeless to feel but pointless to endure. I didn’t learn anything from feelingthat way. I just wanted it to stop.”

“’Ultraviolet’ isabout feeling powerless and under the control of the chemicals in your brain,”he adds. “Ultraviolet light itself being invisible felt like the right way todescribe this notion. To get lost in this unseeable thing. UV also causesphysical damage to our skin, so it serves as a sort of ‘proof’ that somethinginvisible like anxiety can hurt us.”

Filled with momentsof relentless energy throwing back to their hardcore roots (‘Die Alone’ ft.Andrew Neufeld), to visionary moments of modern heavy (‘The Altar Mary’), MiseryMade Me fastens Silverstein’s status as torchbearers of the scene on allfronts.

It’s both intriguingand inspiring that a band – who could have merely rested on the impressivelegacy they’ve already cemented – would continue to dig deep and find theinspiration to reach people in meaningful new ways. Misery Made Me is acampaign hinged on Silverstein’s reflection and gratitude for their roots,their honouring of their earliest fans, and their staunch desire to exploreforward-thinking and adventurous ways to connect with new ones.

SILVERSTEIN IS:
Shane Told Vocals
Paul Marc Rousseau Guitar
Josh Bradford Guitar
Billy Hamilton Bass
Paul Koehler Drums