"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," says Max Bemis. "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."

Bemis adds that the song cycle tells an uplifting story about finding oneself and trusting again, and is not dominated by the themes of drug addiction, insanity, and abusive relationships that fueled In Defense. "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."

"It's not that this record isn't dark," Bemis continues. "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."

Say Anything exploded onto the music scene with their 2004 Doghouse Records debut …Is A Real Boy, which told the ultimate coming-of-age story in a swirling storm of sex, drugs, angst, and gut-wrenchingly honest rock & roll. Bemis' unraveling after the album's release is, by now, well-known among fans of the band, who stuck with Say Anything through Bemis' various health problems, including a long-struggle with bi-polar disorder. In 2005, Say Anything signed with RCA Music Group, which re-released …Is A Real Boy with a bonus CD entitled …Was A Real Boy in 2006, following Bemis' successful rehabilitation. Over the years, Say Anything has toured with such artists as My Chemical Romance, Manchester Orchestra, Dashboard Confessional, Saves the Day, mewithoutyou, Ben Lee, and appeared on the Warped Tour in summer 2008.

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