SINGLE Sweet Dreams of Otherness // ARTIST Alexisonfire
Sweet dreams are made of Alexisonfire, and after months of speculation about a new album and a recent social media aesthetic overhaul, the post-hardcore icons have officially swung in today with a humid new single Sweet Dreams of Otherness - and damn, it's been entirely worth the wait.
One of the most potent bands to ever grace stages and airwaves, both in and beyond their hardcore and punk trappings, Canadian stalwarts Alexisonfire have routinely pushed and redefined the musical landscape. From their ragged 2002 self-titled screamo-laced debut to their earth-shattering 2006 release Crisis, AoF routinely gel elegant intricacy with splintering grit that enamours instantly while also relentlessly burrows under your skin with slow-burning ease. And while it's been a few years now between sonic beers for AoF and their legion of fans, months of rumours and online ruminations have finally been laid to rest today, with the band unveiling a hypnotic new track Sweet Dreams of Otherness that perfectly soundtracks and soothes the apocalyptic wiles of 2022.
Kicking off with splashy percussion and woozy guitars, Sweet Dreams of Otherness languidly builds amongst orbiting light and shade, helmed readily by the sleek swoons of Dallas Green, the grating huskiness of George Petit and chiselled riffage and vox courtesy of Wade MacNeil. Brandishing meaty hooks and burgeoning gritty moments that intermittently scour with pinpoint precision, the subtle build between lush melodics and polished havoc against an ever-expansive backdrop instantly cements Sweet Dreams of Otherness as an immediate AoF classic; a modern-day juxtaposition of simmering ferocity and serenity with just a touch of nostalgic snarl.
With MacNeil confirming back in 2019 that AoF were working on "some of the heaviest stuff we've ever made" and a string of new singles released pre-pandemic, this sturdy step towards fifth album territory, a first since 2009's Old Crows/Young Cardinals, has already whipped up a dizzy frenzy for fans of the Ontario quintet. And while it's unclear yet if the timely existential lyrics for Sweet Dreams of Otherness were concocted before pandemics, floods and wars dominated reality, one thing is for damn sure as we lurch boldy into this brave new world: Alexisonfire are the quintessential cure for sonic mediocrity, and this new track is exactly what the apocalyptic doctor ordered. #theonlybandever.
ALEXISONFIRE'S BRAND NEW SINGLE SWEET DREAMS OF OTHERNESS IS OUT RIGHT NOW VIA COOKING VINYL AUSTRALIA. FOR MORE INFO HEAD HERE.
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BY TIANA SPETER