Say Anything - I Don't Think It Is (2016)

With zero lead-up, Say Anything announced a new album Thursday and put the whole collection, called I Don’t Think It Is, online to stream for free before releasing it for purchase Friday.

“My team and I decided to forego the dying art of the lead‐up and share our new record I Don’t Think It Is with you, right now, with no warning,” frontman Max Bemis wrote on the band’s website. “Why? Obvious. I want to be like Bey. Not‐really‐kidding aside, I’ve become a bit weary of doing the same song and dance leading up to the actual end­game, people actually listening to something​. It also seems to fit with the core of this record: me destroying any notion of feeling blasé about music.”

He continued, “The recent history of Say Anything has been totally affirming. There was a nice little reaction to our last record, Hebrews, which was a step towards ‘progressive’ (or ‘doing whatever the hell I want’). I suppose we have earned the right to remain somewhat vital. However, that entails trying new things. So without any plans for how it would turnout, I introduced a wild card into the equation…”

That wild card was drummer Darren King of Mutemath. “Perhaps my favorite part of Mutemath is Darren’s drumming and production touches,” Bemis wrote. “While hanging out, we somehow stumbled into the idea of making music together. Not just having Darren play on something, but collaborating fully on its production and creation. This is something I’d never done in 15 years of Say Anything and would be the closest I could be to being in a traditional ‘band.’”

See his full note on Say Anything’s website and hear the full album below.