Commoner have announced their debut album ‘Former Self’, arriving November 13th via Pure Noise Records, alongside two new singles, ‘Cemetery Dogs’ and ‘Sirens A Block Away’.
The Phoenix emo and alternative band’s first full length will feature ten tracks and follows ‘Breach’, which arrived earlier this year as what the band describe as a bridge between their past and where they are now.
That idea runs throughout ‘Former Self’. The record looks at growing older and recognising how both you and the people around you have changed, including the feeling of missing a version of someone that no longer exists.
“The album has a lot of themes of childhood and your own former self,” bassist Matthew Bryant explains, “but it also discusses how people around you have changed and missing somebody else’s former self.”
‘Cemetery Dogs’ takes that idea directly into the breakdown of a connection with someone you once knew.
“It’s a crushing thing to witness someone struggle so far beyond your ability to aid,” the band explain. “This track sets the tone for ‘Former Self’, and the themes to follow.”
The album was produced by longtime collaborator Zach Tuch, with vocalist Romin Mattison describing it as “a window of reflection for each of our lives” and a way for the band to close a chapter in their writing before moving forward.
There’s also a UK connection on the record, with Split Chain appearing on opening track ‘Cobalt Blue’.
‘Former Self’ arrives November 13th via Pure Noise Records, with ‘Cemetery Dogs’ and ‘Sirens A Block Away’ out now.