AFI ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM
Copyright: Lexie Alley
American rock band AFI have announced their upcoming twelfth studio album, Silver Bleeds the Black Sun…, set for release on 3 October via Run For Cover Records. The record introduces a bold new era for the legendary band and features the lead single, ‘Behind the Clock,’ out today alongside a striking new music video directed by Gilbert Trejo.
Speaking about the video, Trejo explains, “We wanted the video to feel like you’re seeing something you shouldn’t. In effect you are, because that’s how Davey writes lyrics. He’s expressing himself so openly, that you’re let behind this curtain. It’s a world that most artists don’t cut to, marrow deep.”
Reflecting on the collaboration, frontman Davey Havok adds, “Gilbert’s video has sublimated the essence of ‘Behind the Clock.’ His vision and expertise is inspiring. Working with him was a privilege and utter joy. He is an artist of the purest form.”
For over three decades, AFI has remained in a near-constant state of evolution. With each release, the band has pushed themselves into new territory - sometimes subtly, often dramatically - refusing to settle into a single genre or lean too heavily on their considerable legacy. This fearless reinvention has not only expanded their audience but also challenged it, as AFI’s sound has continued to shift in bold, unexpected ways. With their forthcoming twelfth album, Silver Bleeds the Black Sun…, the band embarks on yet another transformation - one that even caught them by surprise.
The vision for Silver Bleeds the Black Sun… was to craft an album rooted in a singular, immersive mood: dreamy, ethereal, and wholly atmospheric. In doing so, AFI tapped into influences that have long been part of their DNA, but here, they take center stage. The result is a record that feels suspended in time - both familiar and forward-looking. It channels classic textures through a modern lens, yielding a sound that is dark yet grand, otherworldly yet grounded. It’s biting and beautiful, expansive and intimate. In short, it’s quintessential AFI - but unlike anything they’ve done before.
What’s kept AFI vital for more than 30 years is this precise mix of fearless creativity, deeply embedded influences, and an unwavering sense of identity. From their scrappy beginnings as a high school hardcore band in the early ’90s (Answer That and Stay Fashionable, Very Proud of Ya, Shut Your Mouth and Open Your Eyes), to the brooding melodic punk of Black Sails in the Sunset and The Art of Drowning, through their breakthrough into the mainstream with Sing the Sorrow and Decemberunderground, and into their genre-defying years with Crash Love, Burials, The Blood Album, and Bodies - AFI has survived and thrived by relentlessly being themselves, no matter how that definition evolves.
