Written by Isabella Flynn
In May of 2021, As It Is had a "fan game” called May Madness. It was similar to March Madness, but instead of sports teams, it was to determine what the best As It Is song was. This caused a lot of divide, and “Dial Tones” was the winner.
What seemed like a fun way to build a bond between fans and the band ended up being a teaser to the track “IDGAF” that was released on May 27th, which released shortly after the game had finished. At the time of the release of “IDGAF," it had been three years since their last album, "The Great Depression."
It’s safe to say that the world was definitely in need of some new music from As It Is. Throughout the remainder of 2021, the group released four other songs, and then after the fourth songs, they announced their fourth album, "I WENT TO HELL AND BACK."
"I WENT TO HELL AND BACK" came out on February 4th, and although the band released one more single prior to it’s release, making this album have six singles, there still were plenty of surprises.
Tracks 1-4, (“IDGAF”, “I LIE TO ME”, “ILY, HOW ARE YOU?”, and “IDC,I CAN’T TAKE IT”) are part of the singles that were released prior to the album’s announcement. These four tracks are fun listens, and definitely set the tone for what this album is going to be.
Track 5 being a never-been-heard song reminiscent of the sound of their sophomore effort, "Okay." that is laced with elements of pop music.
Track 6, is the single that they announced As It Is’ new album with, “I MISS 2003” which keeps up with the lingering theme of nostalgia- except this time the band isn’t gracing us with a song sounds like it could belong on a previous record, but for a time of being young where there weren’t any form of “adult problems” hanging over our heads.
One of the first surprises that is present in the album is in track 7, “I’M SICK AND TIRED." The opening seems like it’s a jump-around, fun song to sing along to with the clapping backtrack, but still pretty mellow nonetheless, but then the pre-chorus changes that narrative ENTIRELY.
Another surprise is the collaborations. There’s only two songs where there are features- one with Set It Off and JordyPurp on the dark but addicting-to-listen-to sounding (final) single, “IN THREES” and with The Word Alive on the second to last track, “I CAN’T FEEL A THING”.
Both collaborations ended up being songs that sound much different from the rest of the album, but still manage to fit in perfectly. “IN THREES” is the most interesting song As It Is has put out, as it sounds much different instrumentally speaking and “I CAN’T FEEL A THING” is a much more intense listen, and could very well be an exciting glimpse into what the next As It Is record sounds like.
There is this idea of nostalgia in “I MISS 2003”, but through the rest of the record, and like other As It Is tunes, there are songs about mental health- a topic that holds a lot of significance to the band. The songs on this record explore the concepts of “faking it” and trying to be positive when the reality is you’re not doing well, the idea of feeling like no one is there for you when you’re struggling, and the direct impact about the feelings you feel during these moments.
"I WENT TO HELL AND BACK" is an amazing listen with no skips and As It Is has continued to prove themselves that they are a band you should continue to keep your eye on. This is an impressive follow up to their previous record, "The Great Depression," which first introduced us to the change in sound that As It Is shifted to.
"I WENT TO HELL AND BACK" is available wherever you stream your music, and feel free to pick up some merch from their official site to support As It Is! Make sure you go follow the band on Twitter, @ASITISofficial!
Have you heard I WENT TO HELL AND BACK yet? If so, let us know what your favorite song is and share your excitement for the future of As It Is by tweeting us @lgndsoftmrw!