Release Date: Jan 25, 2019
Record label: Dine Alone
Genre(s): Pop/Rock
For anyone thinking that for their 'final' record, Say Anything would lose any of their poetic potency, that's certainly not a cause for concern. With their eighth full-length - and what frontman Max Bemis has called the last album of their 'first era' - the band yet again manage to navigate the realms of pointedly apt social commentary with a razor sharp wit. A prequel of sorts to their infamous ‘…Is A Real Boy’, the album itself is a more intimate journey - and not just because of Max's own self-reflection - flecked with tales of weakness and failure, beauty and humour.
I'll admit that as much as I adore Say Anything's older material, I was a sucker for Hebrews. As a Max Bemis solo act there was something there that felt fresh, unique and him just wanting to move away and take a risk. I could respect that and even the EP that followed. However, what I always wanted to hear from Max was a bridge between eras and honestly, given how well he's doing in the comic industry, I assumed he'd divert this energy there and I wouldn't hear it on a record.