ALEXISONFIRE - Otherness 2xLP (Neon Purple & Magenta vinyl)

Label: Dine Alone

Otherness is the first album in over a decade from the group Rolling Stone declared “put Canadian post-hardcore on the map.” Five guys playing aggressive rock grew to a hockey-arena headlining phenomenon while pushing and pulling between spirited guitar leads, melodic might, and emotional weight.

AOF released four hugely successful studio albums, all Music Canada Platinum-certified: Alexisonfire (2002), Watch Out (2004), Crisis (2006), and Old Crows / Young Cardinals (2009). After Crisis hit No. 1 in Canada, at a stage where many bands compromise in search of greater success, Alexisonfire doubled down with even heavier riffs on album four, Old Crows/Young Cardinals. Released in 2009, it became their highest-charting record in America.

The guys never sacrificed the punk soul summoned in beat-up vans and basement shows. Blending their classic sound with new and forward-thinking textures, they produced Otherness themselves. Jonah Falco of Fucked Up mixed.