Today, California trio Cemetery Sun shared their punchy new single and video “Misery’s Company” and announced their signing with Velocity Records to release new album ASCENSION on October 8th. “Misery’s Company” fuses pop-punk, active rock, and alternative into a powerful sonic mixture with catchy lyrics that explore toxic relationships. The video for the track, directed by Adam Dillon, showcases a high-octane performance from the band that wouldn’t look out of place in a music video rock block in the early 2000s.
On the theme behind “Misery’s Company," vocalist Josh Doty had this to say:
“This is a song encouraging personal liberation past the negativity that can so easily weigh each and every one of us down. Sometimes what’s closest to us can be the most toxic towards who we are and it’s up to us whether to let those things control us, or detach ourselves and walk away a better person.”
On ASCENSION, Cemetery Sun explores themes of mental health and complex relationship dynamics, with introspective lyricism that feels personal yet relatable. The band recorded 90% of the album at their home studio, which not only allowed them to have complete artistic freedom and direction, but it provided them time to hone their desired sound without being pigeon-holed into one specific genre. Citing everyone from Linkin Park to The Neighbourhood as influences, the band exemplifies a diverse range of sounds across the ten songs on the album. From radio-rock friendly tracks like “IDNUA” and “Chemical Warfare” to the catchy pop-punk vibe of “Heartbreak Kid” featuring fast-rising emo-rapper LiL Lotus, ASCENSION is sure to be a breath of fresh air in a scene that has been yearning for the kind of innovation.
On writing the album, Doty expands:
“Our record ASCENSION is not only our first full-length record but was also a therapeutic outlet for helping ourselves become better versions of who we are. We hope our listeners will pick this message up. We also feel that this record has songs you can enjoy no matter what kind of music you’re into or enjoy.”
You can watch the video for “Misery’s Company” here now and pre-order ASCENSION at cemeterysun.band. The band is also set to hit the road this fall, supporting The Score in October, followed by a longer run with Grayscale. All tour dates and the album tracklist can be found below.