Say Anything 'Say Anything' album

The self-titled, due October 13th on Doghouse/J/RCA, follow up to 2007's In Defense of the Genre features 12 songs produced by veteran producer/mixer/engineer Neal Avron, who has also worked with Weezer and Fall Out Boy, among many others. And, not surprisingly, lead singer/songwriter Max Bemis is aiming his sights even higher this time around.

"In Defense was our opportunity to pay homage to our fans, to the bands we grew up listening to, even to our own artistic abilities," he explains. "Our new album steps out of tradition and tries to do things differently by making an impression not just based on a sense of artistry or maturity. We want to be able to affect anyone who listens to it. It's a bigger, more accessible undertaking, but it's twice as complex."

The themes on In Defense were pretty heavy, covering everything from drug addiction to insanity and abusive relationships. But the new album, Bemis assures us, is much more uplifting.

"The songs on this record were inspired by an amazing adventure I had actually becoming a worthwhile person again," he says. "I had to let go of my self-loathing and general sense of self-imposed alienation, which led me through a journey of self-discovery, at the end of which I fell in love and got married. My opinion is that it literally defines everything about the band we've built so far. If you like us or love us from the bottom of your heart, be excited."

Not that everything's all puppies and butterflies. It's clear from the album's first single, "Hate Everyone," which impacts Alternative on September 15th, that cynicism is still an inherent part of Say Anything.

"It's not that this record isn't dark," says Bemis. "It's just more fun and not in a mindless way. I'd say it's easily the closest our band has gotten to writing a record that our fans would want us to write. Not to kiss their butts, but because it's what we wanted to write as well."

The band's 31-date trek kicks off October 14th at the House of Blues in Anaheim, CA, and concludes with a hometown gig on November 22nd at Troubadour in Los Angeles, CA.

Say Anything tour dates
October 14 - Anaheim, CA - House of Blues
October 15 - San Francisco, CA - Slim's
October 16 - Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom
October 17 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon
October 19 - Salt Lake City, UT - In The Venue
October 20 - Denver, CO - Cervantes
October 21 - Kansas City, MO - The Beaumont
October 22 - St. Paul, MN - Station 4
October 23 - Chicago, IL - Vic Theatre
October 25 - Pontiac, MI - Clutch Cargo's
October 26 - Covington, KY - Mad Hatter Club
October 27 - Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom
October 28 - Toronto, ON - Phoenix Concert Theatre
October 30 - Boston, MA - House of Blues
October 31 - Hartford, CT - Webster Theatre
November 1 - Philadelphia, PA - Theatre of the Living Arts
November 3 - New York, NY - The Fillmore at Irving Plaza
November 4 - New York, NY - HighLine Ballroom
November 6 - Towson, MD - The Recher Theatre
November 7 - Norfolk, VA - The NorVa
November 8 - Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle
November 10 - Atlanta, GA - Masquerade
November 11 - 12 - Orlando, FL - The Social
November 13 - St. Petersburg, FL - State Theatre
November 16 - Houston, TX - Warehouse Live
November 17 - Austin, TX - Emo's
November 18 - Dallas, TX - The Door
November 20 - Tempe, AZ - Marquee Theatre
November 21 - San Diego, CA - House of Blues
November 22 - Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour

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Say Anything - Say Anything