For more than two decades, Anberlin have remained a formidable force in the alt-rock world, boasting a wildly devoted fanbase who’ve come to rely on the raw cathartic power of their music. On the massively anticipated Vega—the first album in ten years from vocalist Stephen Christian, guitarists Joseph Milligan and Christian McAlhaney, bassist Deon Rexroat, and drummer Nathan Young—the Florida-bred band deliver a body of work forged with an explosive new energy, thanks in part to the addition of singer Matty Mullins (the Memphis May Fire frontman who’s stepped in as live vocalist for Anberlin, following Christian’s announcement that he’ll no longer tour full-time). The latest triumph in an extraordinary career that’s included selling over 1.5 million albums in the U.S. alone and turning out hits like the No. 1 Alternative Radio smash “Feel Good Drag,” Vega reveals a band whose creative passion and one-of-a-kind vision have only grown stronger over time. Arriving on the heels of two back-to-back EPs—2022’s Silverline and 2023’s Convinced—Vega emerged from a period of unbridled creativity for Anberlin, who parted ways soon after 2014’s Lowborn and reunited for a series of lockdown-era livestreams. In bringing their new album to life, the band embraced a deliberately free-flowing and DIY approach, building up songs in McAlhaney’s garage before self-producing the LP at Tampa’s Feral Sound Studios. “In the past we’d sometimes limit our sound to some preconceived idea of what Anberlin is supposed to be,” says McAlhaney. “This time the mantra was, ‘If it feels good, let’s try it.’ Because at the end of the day, Anberlin is whatever we say it is.” As a result, Vega encompasses everything from the shout-along-ready pop perfection of “Walk Alone” to the brutally heavy intensity of “Seven” (a shapeshifting and strangely enthralling epic featuring a savage vocal performance from Mullins). “I think after spending time apart we came back with a new perspective, where we were all just excited to work together and create the best songs we can,” says Young. “No one was precious about their ideas; it was all about making something that feels new and risky and like nothing we’ve ever done before.” As they get set to embark on the 20 Years of Tears amphitheater tour with Thursday, Hawthorne Heights, and Saosin—a 56-date run that marks their most extensive tour in a decade—Anberlin look forward to the pure thrill of performing their new material for their longtime legion of fans. “We’ve had so many people tell us things like, ‘Your songs got me through a really difficult time in my life,’ or ‘You guys are what made me pick up a guitar and start my own band,’” says Rexroat. “It’s an incredible feeling to know that we’ve impacted other people on that level—the amount of love we’ve felt is undeniable, and it’s one of the main reasons we’ve kept going for as long we have.”

“Whenever there’s nothing to do you can just go find where Emery is and they will be hanging out somewhere and hang w them.“ - Chris from Saosin 25 years in, Emery is still cranking out that legit emotional cocktail (two parts insecurity and Christian guilt, one part ADHD and repressed anger), and it has kept them naively unstoppable. Doing everything the thick, long, hard, DIY way and having a good time is why they are your favorite band’s favorite band to hang out with. Who else do you know that hacked together tour buses, mastered crowdfunding, decided to be their own record label, made thirty successful podcasts, accidentally built a spiritual subculture, and pioneered new fan community platforms, all while 8-12 beers deep? At this point, Emery is proudly winning a game everybody else is too humiliated to play. Call it commitment, delusion, or divine appointment: they remain, maybe just by default, the Best Christian Emo Band of All Time. A bold claim no one else is brave or shameless enough to make. A title they didn’t ask for or earn. A torch they bravely and courageously carry after mewithoutyou broke up, Underoath started cussing, Anberlin can’t decide who’s singing and As Cities Burn became break up/reunion performance art. They might be the only ones left, but they’ll own it proudly.