Atreyu kicks off The Hope of a Spark US Headlining Tour
Atreyu releases The Hope of a Spark via Spinefarm, and is available for streaming here. The 4-tracks embody everything that the band has come to be, to mean, to represent, marking the beginning of the next chapter in the band’s story, with assorted pieces of an expansive puzzle still taking shape, form, and focus. Produced by long-time collaborator John Feldmann, the new music explores reflection and rumination on modern life’s pressures, pleasures, and pains, with each track representing a snapshot of deeply personal, lived, and shared experiences.
“The overarching concept is essentially about the seasons of life,” frontman Brandon Saller explains. “Everyone goes through the same things, the ups and downs of life. The emphasis really is the importance of at least respecting those, and finding the positives and the lessons from even your lowest moments.”
The recent single, “Watch Me Burn,” is the EP’s phoenix rising from life’s trial-by-fire, a call to arms to let renewed hope emerge from smoldering embers and ash. “To me, it’s a song about being cleansed by fire,” explains bassist, Porter McKnight. “Whatever it is that’s bringing you down and holding you back, burn it down. Use it, learn from it, move on, and grow. That thing does not deserve you, and you don’t deserve it.”
“It’s very relatable to all of us individually,” adds Saller, who leads the track’s anthemic, hooky chorus with a defiant cry of “Even when flames grow higher / I’ll be fighting till I’m dead.” “But it’s also incredibly pertinent to the journey of this band.”
The opening track of the EP, “Drowning,” was written as a collective effort from each band member who poured their own experiences, be it familial health problems that guitarist Dan Jacobs was shouldering to Saller’s first encounters with feelings of anxiety, or bassist Porter’s McKnight’s long-running fight with depression. The second track, “God Devil,” laments a loss of identity, self, and faith, a desperate cry for help from a higher power, when our greatest power is one we need to find within, following, “Capital F,” which was inspired by Saller’s observations of the human plight.
“These songs are the culmination of our entire artistic endeavors, It’s everything we’ve learned as humans, everything we’ve ingested as musicians, and everything we’ve experienced in this lifetime. It is Atreyu unleashed.” McKnight attests. “Everything that we have put out to this point has built to this moment,” said Jacobs. “Something special is happening with Atreyu right now. We can feel the creativity and collaboration when the five of us get in the studio. We can feel the confidence we all give each other when we stand onstage together. And we can see it in the audience when they’re losing their minds. They’re having as good a time as we are ourselves.”
“It feels like the world has been catching up with the diversity of influences and sounds that we’ve been putting into Atreyu for some time now,” Saller says. “There are no limitations, no barriers.”
The Hope of a Spark EP trackisting:
1. Drowning
2. God Devil
3. Capital F
4. Watch Me Burn
Atreyu kicked off The Hope of a Spark headlining tour in Sacramento at Ace of Spades with a one-off date supporting Kayzo on May 6 in Los Angeles. The tour will conclude on May 21 in Denver at the Gothic Theatre. Unless otherwise noted, all dates are with special guests Point North, Within Destruction, and LYLVC. Tickets are available for purchase here.
Hope of A Spark US Tour Dates with Point North, Within Destruction, and LYLVC:
4/27/23 – Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades (w/ Kayzo)
4/28/23 – Reno, NV @ Virginia Street Brewhouse
4/29/23 – Bend, OR @ Midtown Ballroom
4/30/23 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox
5/02/23 – Boise, ID @ Knitting Factory
5/03/23 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex
5/05/23 – Phoenix, AZ @ Van Buren
5/06/23 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Kia Forum *
5/07/23 – San Diego, CA @ House of Blues
5/08/23 – Tucson, AZ @ Encore
5/10/23 – San Antonio, TX @ Vibes Event Center
5/11/23 – Corpus Christi, TX @ Brewster Street Ice House
5/12/23 – Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live
5/13/23 – Dallas, TX @ The Echo Lounge & Music Hall
5/15/23 – Joliet, IL @ The Forge
5/16/23 – Belvedere, IL @ The Apollo
5/18/23 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Diamond Ballroom
5/19/23 – Lawrence, KS @ Granada Theater
5/20/23 – Colorado Springs, CO @ Sunshine Studios Live **
5/21/23 – Denver, CO @ Gothic Theatre **
* = supporting Kayzo
** = without Point North
About Atreyu:
Atreyu ushered in a new movement in heavy music. Their music seamlessly intertwines with formative experiences for a diverse legion of dedicated listeners, many of whom started their own bands. They’ve broken into the Top 10 in the Billboard 200 more than once; two of their albums, The Curse and Lead Sails Paper Anchor, are certified gold with 2 million albums sold worldwide and an encompassing 600 million streams. Their most recent album, Baptize has clocked 65 million streams alongside a Top 10 at rock radio hit with “Warrior” featuring Travis Barker.
Where once the band was heralded as the early innovators of the nascent metalcore scene, their place in heavy music’s diverse and boundary-breaking scene has never felt more relevant, with inspirations of pop-punk, hardcore, thrash, ’80s rock, and more melding into a unique and varied sound that has never felt more relevant than in today’s increasingly genreless world.
With a 20-year career and eight acclaimed albums in the rear-view mirror, Atreyu in 2023 is focused only on the present and the future, and a mission to continue shaping and defining the rock and metal scene, just as they have always done since their emergence from Huntington Beach in Southern California. Atreyu is one of the most respected names and potent forces in heavy music, and their live show is one of the most heralded on the touring circuit.
Line-up:
Brandon Saller – Vocals
Dan Jacobs – Guitar
Travis Miguel – Guitar
Porter McKnight – Bassist
Kyle Rosa – Drums
