VIA PRESS RELEASE | Craft Recordings celebrates the 15th anniversary of Silverstein’s bestselling fourth album, A Shipwreck in the Sand, with a vinyl reissue and several color exclusives.
The 2009 concept album remains a favorite in the band’s extensive discography, with such tracks as “Vices” (feat. Liam Cormier of Cancer Bats), “The End” (feat. Lights) and “American Dream.” Set for release on June 28th and available for pre-order, A Shipwreck in the Sand can be found on classic black vinyl, as well as several limited-edition color variants, including Green Smoke (exclusively at Silverstein’s official store), Orange Smoke (CraftRecordings.com and VictoryRecords.com) and Translucent Forest Green (Brooklyn Vegan).
Formed in 2000 in Burlington, Ontario, Silverstein have long been at the forefront of the hardcore scene, thanks to their dynamic blend of melody and aggression with the unabashed earnestness of emo. In 2002, the five-piece (whose name was inspired by a shared fondness of the poet Shel Silverstein) joined Victory Records, the storied rock, metal, punk, and hardcore label, which boasts Thursday, Between the Buried and Me, and Taking Back Sunday among its legendary alumni. Victory Records is now a part of Concord’s independent label family, with its formidable repertoire managed by Craft Recordings.
Under the label, they released their celebrated full-length debut, When Broken Is Easily Fixed (2003), followed by Discovering the Waterfront (2005) and Arrivals & Departures (2007). By the time they released their fourth and final studio album under Victory, 2009’s A Shipwreck in the Sand, Silverstein were significant stars in the scene, having earned their first Juno nomination and traversed the world (including a sold-out headlining tour across Canada, runs across South America, Europe and the UK, plus two stints with the Vans Warped Tour).
Reuniting with the GRAMMY®-winning producer Cameron Webb (Disturbed, Kelly Clarkson, Motörhead), the band set to work on one of their most ambitious projects. Written as a concept album, A Shipwreck in the Sand tells the story of a ship’s crew who hope to discover new land. As their search becomes increasingly futile, the crew revolts against their captain. Comprised of four chapters—“It Burns Within Us All” (tracks 1–3), “Liars, Cheaters and Thieves” (tracks 4–7), “Fight Fire with Fire” (tracks 8–10) and “Death and Taxes” (tracks 11–14)—the album takes listeners through a dramatic musical journey: one that ranges from emotive, pop-forward numbers to some of the heaviest songs of Silverstein’s career.
Among the highlights is “Vices,” featuring guest vocals by Cancer Bats frontman Liam Cormier. Released as a single, the track showcases what Silverstein does best: blending cathartic vocals and urgent riffs with lyrical songwriting and anthemic melodies. Other standouts include the ominous opener “A Great Fire,” the hook-filled “I Knew I Couldn’t Trust You” and—on the other end of the spectrum—“I Am the Arsonist,” which delivers a blistering, all-out sonic assault. In addition to Cormier, the band is joined by Scott Wade (formerly of Comeback Kid) on the breakneck “Born Dead,” while singer-songwriter Lights lends her ethereal vocals to the soaring, aptly titled closing track, “The End.” The album also features a cameo by guitarist Paul Marc Rousseau, who became a full-time member of Silverstein in 2012.
In an interview for the 2010 live album, Decade (Live at the Mocambo), frontman Shane Told shared deeper insight into the album’s themes—all of which served as a metaphor for the era’s socio-political climate. “The reason I wanted to do a concept record was because of the way the world is right now, with the economy being messed up, people losing jobs and families losing their life savings, and not knowing what they are going to do in the future. . . . It’s a really scary time.”
He continued, “There’s also a lot of social issues I wanted to talk about as well; people that watch reality TV and think Cribs is the way their house needs to look, or they need to look like people from a Cosmopolitan magazine. There’s just so many problems that face society right now and I really wanted to tackle them all. Each song just dives into a different issue; you know the issue of health care right now in America, and how it’s so divided when it should be so obvious.”
The band’s thoughtful work certainly resonated with fans. Released in March 2009, A Shipwreck in the Sand sold nearly 17,000 units in its first week, breaking the Billboard 200’s Top 40 and landing at No.7 on the Alternative chart. Additionally, the album peaked at No.10 on Billboard’s Rock chart and broke the Top 5 of the Independent and Hard Rock rankings.
15 years later, the band is still immensely proud of A Shipwreck in the Sand. “This was our first foray into the world of concept albums,” recalls Shane Told. “Countless hours were spent writing the story and conceptualizing the lyrics—all while going back and forth with the music to make it all fit. We recorded the record over three months, spending more time than any other album we have made. It was a big challenge and a very trying and difficult process. I was staying up late working and usually getting the majority of my sleep in between takes on the couch at Metalworks Studios. But I look back at this period with nothing but fondness, especially because we created one of my favorite albums.”
Told continues, “Even after a decade-and-a-half, people are still discovering these songs and the stories within them, and even asking me questions about what it all means. It also was super limited on the first pressing, so I’m glad to see it available again to be heard properly, on vinyl.”
To date, Silverstein has racked up thousands of shows around the world and released over a dozen studio, live and compilation albums (including their Juno-nominated 2020 LP, A Beautiful Place to Drown). In 2022, Silverstein (whose current line-up includes vocalist Shane Told, guitarists Paul Marc Rousseau and Josh Bradford, bassist Billy Hamilton, and drummer Paul Koehler) released their 11th studio album, Misery Made Me, while the band kicked off 2024 with the new single, “Take It Back” (feat. Fairlane).
Fans can catch Silverstein on the road throughout the year, including at such high-profile events as the UK’s Download Festival, Austria’s Nova Rock and Germany’s Full Force Festival. This fall, meanwhile, the band will appear at Las Vegas’ When We Were Young Festival, where they will perform the entirety of their 2005 album, Discovering the Waterfront. Scroll down for a complete list of dates. For tickets and more information, please visit the band’s official website.
