by photojournalist Allison Davis
Anberlin is standing at the edge of a defining chapter. Two months ahead of releasing their highly anticipated new record, Currency, the band hosted an intimate listening party right in the heart of St. Pete, Florida. Our phone call started a little behind schedule as Christian McAlhaney was just making it back home from picking up his daughter, which is fitting for the overall feel of real life in this story, and I didn’t mind one bit. Chatting before the event offered an unfiltered, behind-the-scenes look into the intention, resilience, and passion driving this next era a story that hits close to home for those of us immersed in our local music scene, that also happens to be an array of emerging and in this case well-known artists such as Anberlin.
HONORING THE PAST WHILE BUILDING THE FUTURE
Reinventing a sound after 25 years in the industry is no small feat. For Anberlin, writing Currency meant leaning into their core roots rather than running away from them. When vocalist Matty Mullins (also of Memphis May Fire) stepped in, the band made a deliberate pivot back to what defined them.
“For a long time in Anberlin, there would be songs that would be brought to the table and literal words like ‘that sounds too Anberlin’ would be said,” McAlhaney shared. “Because we’re like, ‘We’ve already done that,’ right? So that no longer existed. It was like, ‘No, no, no. Let’s really try to… put our heads back in that space.’ And Matty really was a driving force there.”
“That era that early era of Anberlin is just so special to him. You know, as anyone… like for me, I love Metallica, those first records that I discovered, the earlier stuff, will always be their defining sound to me…That’s the same for probably any artist. So this was a really intentional, like, ‘Hey, let’s really try to… honor that part.'”
That intentionality made all the difference in crafting Currency into what McAlhaney describes as objectively the best Anberlin record put out in a very long time.
UNDERSTANDING THE HUMAN REALITY BEHIND THE STAGE
Being in a lead singer position can be tough, and online culture often makes quick judgments when a legacy lineup shifts. But speaking with Christian a conversation that funny enough came up again at the listening party with a fan while I was out taking photographs of the event puts things back into perspective.
Crucially, this shift happened because Stephen Christian was actually the one who hand-picked Matty Mullins to take over. As Christian recalled
“We were struggling with, like, looking down at, like, ‘Oh, my God, I think we might be breaking up again.’ So when Stephen called me, he was like, ‘Hey, man, I know I’ve been holding you guys back. I want you to consider touring with another singer. I’ve already spoken to a bunch of dudes, and, you know, Matty Mullins really wants to do it.”
He also addressed the internet backlash head-on:
“The idea that this was some sort of a money grab is the most hilarious thing to me… If anything, it’s been a massive struggle… We didn’t kick him out of the band. Like, he left the band. He’s the one that he orchestrated all this… and we’re trying to do our best here for you guys and for ourselves and for our families… I wish other people would have that same grace.”
Now that it is out in the world and I heard it straight from a reliable source, everyone can just relax and show some love!
TIGHT-KNIT ST. PETE COMMUNITY EVENT
Experiencing the listening party at Easy Tiger brought so much to this story. I was super stoked to be a part of this, not only because it IS such a tight community here in St. Pete, but because it brings an extra piece to the story being able to experience an album release with a band such as Anberlin in our local community. It is so amazing when people can come together to do this, whether it’s on a large scale or a small scale, and support a band.
Speaking on why they chose to host the event locally at Easy Tiger, Christian shared:
“Our good friend Matt K….opened Easy Tiger. The goal of it was to be kind of a listening lounge, like a Japanese listening lounge… super high-fi, music-based, like, dialed-in room to where that’s like music-forward. So I think this is just the perfect setting for that when we started thinking about doing this… We’re doing a whole block party right there.”
The night turned into a full block party featuring awesome local staples from custom flash tattoos at Amulet, to food , to Christian and Deon DJing the afterparty at The Bends. Beyond the local businesses involved, it was so cool seeing a lot of familiar faces in the crowd. It’s the kind of town where local threads overlap in the coolest ways like running into Jon Berg (who I did a bee removal for a few months ago) doing live screen printing on site for the band that night! That kind of connection makes an event like this feel truly personal.
COUNTING DOWN TO ORLANDO
Speaking with Christian McAlhaney was an absolute pleasure, and getting a full story going into a show like this is kind of a rad treat. I had already had it scheduled in my calendar to go to the Switchfoot / Anberlin show at the House of Blues on November 4th in Orlando with my daughter.
I was absolutely stoked to hear the collaboration song “Trenches” that Anberlin and Switchfoot put together for this new album Currency, and I’m really crossing my fingers that I’ll get to see this live in Orlando! From an intimate listening party in our hometown to massive venue stages, Anberlin is proving that when a community stands together with a band, the best chapters are still ahead. Seasons bring change and I 100% believe that this change is a start to a new chapter for Anberlin, as new seasons should be for anyone! Mark your calendars for November 11th and get ready to experience Currency!
