With The Amity Affliction being such a staple and huge band in the alternative scene, this goes without saying, but for newer listeners... The Amity Affliction is a four-part post-hardcore band originally from Australia. With the band's formation in 2003, they have stood the overall test of time. While some of the members have changed over the band's time on the scene, all good things come with time, and I think the band has a solid sound lineup going for them currently.
After the release of their new single "House of Cards," The Amity Affliction is also putting out a full-length studio album of the same name, "House of Cards." And it starts hard, heavy, and raw just as Amity fans could expect! While the single "House of Cards" was a little more tame and a softer type of vulnerability, the intro of the album, "Vida Nueva," is the opposite! They come in swinging to remind us that they are multifaceted in their skills and sounds, which is honestly something we should all be more open to for the artist that we love and support.
The album's structure is beautiful! They weave the heavy instrumentals and harsh vocals between the softer songs with cleaner vocals to build an album that keeps you engaged with it and what it has coming next! Good track lists can make or break an album, but I feel like The Amity Affliction really planned it out in a way that makes the whole album able to be played on repeat since it flows well from song to song!
One thing I did notice is that a lot of the songs have a very light background feel that reminds me of the Swancore sound! I love it; it feels very subtle but still has a notable presence! It's not in all of the songs, but a good few of the tracks do have this element! It's fun and adds extra depth and layering!
The songs "House of Cards," "Heaven Sent," "Afterlife," and "Vida Nueva" are among my favorite songs on the album! I love this whole album, but these songs really hit home for me!
Directed by Daniel Daly
Now, for me to be a music video nerd again...
This video would get a 10/10 in my book! I love symbolism. I love emotionally changed videos. And I love a music video that can depict their meaning without having to outright show what they are saying. The "House of Cards" music video nailed all of these elements literally to a T.
The video switches from the band playing in a completely white, empty, well-lit room to scenes with a little boy. In some of them, he's sitting watching TV, as if it were the object that he's been given to entertain himself with, essentially being handed a screen to parent him instead of his own mother, who's shown only as a hand with a well-done manicure from the arm of a fancy white sitting chair. Other times, the boy is under a table or crawling under it, scared and hiding as the vocalist sings about a mother and how a brother was affected by the mother. Other scenes include the boy trying to get warm in blankets on a couch, the mother's hands rattling the table as the boy hides and covers his ears under it, and flowers. A lot of flowers! Especially as we move closer to the breakdown where the band hits the lines "Hate is easy, You gotta love yourself," showing that the flowers represent growth. The boy chose to love himself over what he was taught by the mother, and you see him screaming that and expelling the self-hatred he was taught by the mother at the end.
I believe this song and video could be crucial for a lot of people. It feels like listening to healing, and I think the video can help a lot of people process what they have gone through alongside the song.
Deep moment here, but I think a lot of men, especially, need this song and video. There are a lot of men who are having to realize their mothers (and families) were not good to them, and with the stigma that has lived on men's mental health, it's nice to see things like this. The world needs to support the mental health of everyone more, but I think men need to start supporting each other more, and The Amity Affliction is here for them and all of us. Even I had my emotional moment with this one; I cried and related to this song in my own right.
"House of Cards" is an all-around masterclass of songs that encompass healing and self-love without making them too upbeat. It's raw, real, and vulnerable, but in such a way that it is comforting as you cry. And maybe the crying is just me; I am a mess when it comes to a good song and video. Either way, The Amity Affliction is not just putting out bangers; they are giving us a gift... A great song and music video, and the hope that we can love ourselves... Even when we're taught not to, against all the odds we are handed, because it's not that we didn't deserve love. We just loved people who didn't know what healthy love was like and never tried to learn.
The Amity Affliction was also on tour for all of February and March with In Hearts Wake and Redhook for an Australian tour before going on tour in America with August Burns Red in the spring.
Meet the Band:
Joel Birch - Lead Vocals
Dan Brown - Guitarist
Jonny Reeves - Bass/Vocals
Joe Longobardi - Drums
