Say Anything announces new album, ‘Anarchy, My Dear’

Say Anything has revealed that the title of the band’s forthcoming full-length album will be Anarchy, My Dear. The album was recorded with …Is A Real Boy producer Tim O’Heir [All-American Rejects, Say Anything] and is expected to be released in early 2012.

Say Anything frontman Max Bemis has also announced a winter solo headlining tour, where he will share the stage with his wife and Eisley vocalist/guitarist, Sherri DuPree-Bemis. They will each play separate acoustic sets, as well as performing select songs together.

In a recent in-studio interview with Alternative Press, Bemis discussed the musical progression of Say Anything on Anarchy, My Dear stating, “I feel like this one [is what would have happened] had we chosen to go in a different direction after …Is a Real Boy—it’s like a cousin of the other records as opposed to a brother or sister…it’s edgier and the influences are a little more diverse, and it makes us stand out a little bit more. That’s what I’m proudest about this record: There’s no way you can put it on and think of any other band besides ours.”

Bemis describes Anarchy, My Dear, in its purest sense, as a form of propaganda – an expression of how he feels and what he sees and believes in as a healthy level of anarchy. He expounds, “…the record is named after one of the songs on it called “Anarchy, My Dear,” which is basically my love song to anarchy. It’s sort of written as if it was to a woman, but it’s about my belief and my love for this idea of anarchy.”

Though still filled with raw emotions and the band’s signature brand of in-your-face honesty and unrivaled wit, Bemis explains that lyrically Anarchy, My Dear differs from past releases, in that it is “…no longer about coming into my own; it’s more about what do I think of the world, what are the changes I’d like to see, what do I think of life, how do I experience life. So it is more raw in the sense that it has that early quality of rebellion.”

In addition to Bemis’ vocals, listeners will hear the ethereal guest vocals of DuPree-Bemis, as well as the vocal flourishes of drummer Coby Linder. In the interview, Bemis also reflects on Say Anything’s musical roots, going back to his and Linder’s teenage days.

“We’ve been a band for 10 or 11 years, and it really started out with me and Coby just kind of walking around and talking about music, and getting excited and being crazy together, and trying to push each other into new directions and challenge each other.” He continues, “That’s definitely a lot of what the musical dynamic on this record is; there’s a lot of little ear candy and yet at the same time it’s really loose and energetic.”

Say Anything has sold nearly half a million copies of their previous releases, performed on Late Night With Conan O’Brien, and has been praised by the likes of Rolling Stone, Spin, Alternative Press and more. Say Anything rose to prominence with their 2004 studio album debut …Is a Real Boy and went on to release the equally eclectic and energetic, In Defense of the Genre (2007) and their self-titled LP (2009). The interview with Alternative Press can be read in its entirety HERE and all upcoming solo dates can be seen below.

Max Bemis Solo Tour w/Sherri DuPree-Bemis
Nov 30 Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
Dec 01 Hamden, CT @ The Space
Dec 02 Brooklyn, NY @ The Bell House
Dec 03 West Chester, PA @ The Note
Dec 04 Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar
Dec 06 Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506
Dec 07 West Columbia, SC @ New Brookland Tavern
Dec 09 Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade – downstairs
Dec 10 Orlando, FL @ The Social
Dec 11 Tampa, FL @ The Orpheum
Dec 13 Baton Rouge, LA @ Spanish Moon
Dec 14 Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live Studio
Dec 15 Corpus Christi, TX @ House of Rock
Dec 16 San Antonio, TX @ White Rabbit