Alexisonfire has just announced their first new record since 2009 titled Otherness to be out on June 24. The band is now streaming the slow-burning new single "Sweet Dreams Of Otherness," which vocalist George Pettit said was mostly the idea of vocalist and guitarist Dallas Green.
"This song was largely Dallas's brain child, but over the course of writing this record, it became more of a mission statement for the band," said Pettit. "It's kind of about performance and embracing a new found confidence in a state of peculiarity."
As for why Alexisonfire chose to make a new record 13 years later, the band said it just felt like the right time and that they didn't want to become a nostalgia act.
"The biggest difference is the space we are all in. We were all really thrilled to make a record, and it was such a respite from what was going on in the world. It felt like life could be beautiful," guitarist Wade MacNeil says. "We were supportive of one another. Everyone was in such a good mood. It was such a treat to be able to do it again."
"As much as we love playing the old songs, we don't want to be a nostalgia act. The only reason to come back is if we feel we still have something to say," Pettit explains. "We spent so much time on the road thinking that if we stopped, people would lose interest. But when we went away, it only got bigger. We all carved new paths for ourselves, so coming back to Alexisonfire is a purely enjoyable creative venture. Something special happens when we get in a room together."
It's worth noting that Alexisonfire did release three new singles between 2019 and 2020 – "Familiar Drugs," "Complicit," and "Seasons Of The Flood" – none of which will appear on Sweet Dreams Of Otherness.
