From Exile The Menzingers

• 1 America (You're Freaking Me Out) (From Exile) 02:43
• 2 Anna (From Exile) 03:17
• 3 High School Friend (From Exile) 04:12
• 4 Last To Know (From Exile) 03:59
• 5 Strangers Forever (From Exile) 03:15
• 6 Hello Exile (From Exile) 05:01
• 7 Portland (From Exile) 02:41
• 8 Strain Your Memory (From Exile) 03:59
• 9 I Can't Stop Drinking (From Exile) 05:03
• 10 Strawberry Mansion (From Exile) 03:05
• 11 London Drugs (From Exile) 03:39
• 12 Farewell Youth (From Exile) 03:58
• Total Runtime 44:52

Info for From Exile

The Menzingers were on tour in Australia when the world seemed to abruptly stop due to COVID-19, forcing the band to cut their tour short and make their way back to Philadelphia. “The live music industry vanished before our eyes, and just like that we were out of work like tens of millions of others,” notes singer/guitarists Greg Barnett. “As the weeks progressed the upcoming tours got rescheduled, then rescheduled again, then effectively cancelled. There were times when it all felt fatal. There’s no guide book on how to navigate being a working musician during a global pandemic, so we were left to make it up as we went along. We wanted to document and create in the moment, and though we couldn’t be in the same room together due to social distancing lockdowns, we got creative.”

Over the next few months, the band would re-record Hello Exile from their separate locations. “We would track the songs from our own home studios, share the files via dropbox, and pray it all made sense when pieced back together. Initially, we planned for the album to be similar to our acoustic demo collection ‘On The Possible Past,’ but we quickly found out that this batch of songs benefited from more detailed arrangements,” adds Barnett. “We rewrote, and changed keys and melodies. We blended analog and digital instruments in ways we never had before. We dug through old lyric notebooks and added additional verses. We got our dear friend Kayleigh Goldsworthy to play violin on two songs. No idea was off limits. Hell, I even convinced the band to let me play harmonica on a song (no small feat!). The recording process ran from mid-March till June, and upon completion we sent it over to our dear friend and close collaborator Will Yip to mix and master.”

The Menzingers:
Eric Keen, bass
Greg Barnett, vocals, guitar
Joe Godino, drums, percussion
Tom May, vocals, guitar
Kayleigh Goldsworthy, violin on (“I Can't Stop Drinking" and "Last to Know")

Recorded in isolation in Philadelphia, PA Spring of 2020
Mixed by Will Yip
Mastered by Will Yip
Produced and Engineered by The Menzingers

The Menzingers
Rising punk rock band The Menzingers create a rousing sound featuring crashing power chords, rock steady drumming and anthemic sing-along choruses alongside powerfully poetic everyman lyrics. The group's Epitaph Records debut album On The Impossible Past is available now.

On The Impossible Past was recorded at Atlas Studios in Chicago with longtime collaborators Matt Allison (Alkaline Trio, The Lawrence Arms) and Justin Yates. While the record retains all the raucous spirit of the band's earlier efforts sonically, it's a monumental step forward. "I think that 'Gates' is one of the most mature songs on the album," guitarist/vocalist Tom May explains, referencing the tender rock song sung by Barnett that truly transcends genres. "I hope it surprises people because it's not a straight-forward punk song with gang vocals or anything like that but it still definitely sounds like us."

It's undoubtedly been an exciting time for The Menzingers, touring with acts like Against Me! and The Gaslight Anthem as well as playing their own headlining shows to enthusiastic audiences and the band wouldn't change it for the world. "I get a lot of personal emails that say something to the effect of 'my girlfriend broke up with me or my dad died and I listen to your music and it makes me feel really good' and that validates what we're doing and the time and effort we put into the new album," May summarizes. "When people hear the songs from On The Impossible Past, I just hope people can relate to it and it makes them feel the way we do when we sing it."

This album contains no booklet.