EXCLUSIVE: Die Young premiere single "Until You Die" through Lambgoat

Texas hardcore band Die Young recently announced a new five-song EP titled Wanted To Believe. Ahead of the official release, Die Young and Lambgoat are premiering the second single from the album, "Until You Die."

Of "Until You Die," vocalist Daniel Austin said:

Most of the songs on this new record can have dual interpretations, and this song is one of that nature. This one was meant to present a personal interpretation, and also a more global type of interpretation, but both perspectives involve the tough realities of engaging in a therapy process — the first part of which entails learning to account for your own agency in whatever has happened to you.

He further explained:

On a personal level, "Until You Die" portrays someone who has been betrayed and manipulated, and even though their feelings of rage and resentment may very well be warranted, the character in this song has insofar failed to take accountability for their part in what has happened and this has led them into a pathology of victimization, which has led them to becoming the ugliest version of themself. For me, I'll admit that I learned this firsthand. In my past, I was involved in a very toxic relationship, one in which I absolutely was gaslit and lied to, and even if it is understandable that I would be angry about being lied to, it doesn't absolve me (or anyone) from being responsible for my own behavior. I lashed out in ways that I was very ashamed of once I snapped out of the initial spells of rage that consumed me, spells which had terrified people in my life. It was something I had to account for. 

I recall my first therapy session, when my therapist had said that my willingness to account for my own behavior and not place the onus on the other parties involved in creating the drama in my life at the time was a commendable sign that I could be receptive to therapy. He said too many clients come in saying all their problems would be solved if the other person would just change their behavior, and that's a losing approach right out of the gate. All we can do is be responsible for our own actions. If the other side wants to continue in their crooked ways, that is on them. 

To bring this to the global or geopolitical aspect of what I am talking about in this song, we of course see countless conflicts in the world today, many of which are filled with genocidal rage against neighbors that is ultimately fueled by desire for revenge or deep prejudice. There are entire cultures out there who think the answer to their problems is the eradication of those who have trespassed against them, and generally speaking, all that kind of mentality yields is more destruction. If we don't take accountability for our own agency in any conflict, personal or cultural, all we can count on is further damage being inflicted on everyone involved. With "Until You Die," I wanted to hold a mirror up to this kind of toxic victim mentality narrative. 

Due out March 14, 2025 in a collaboration between Immigrant Sun Records and Dead Truth Recordings, Wanted To Believe is Die Young's fourth release since their 2018 reunion, which followed a five-year hiatus.

Since reforming, the band has seen a shift towards a more metallic sound, an evolution from the more straight-forward hardcore records they released during their original run between 2002 and 2009. But noticeably on "Until You Die," Austin and company have reeled themselves in a bit more. Gone are the ripping solos and thrashy chord changes that laced their 2018 EP, The God for Which We Suffer, replaced with more melodic guitar riffs and a chuggy, two-step worthy bassline. For Die Young fans, it might just be the best of both worlds.

On the sound of the record, the vocalist said:

I think it is important to continually evolve. Our previous releases in 2018-2019 were a departure from our more "traditional" Die Young style, which was always rooted in 90s hardcore from New York (both from the big city and the upstate bands) and Cleveland, for the most part. When we started the band in the early 2000s, I was thinking we would go for a simpler kind of old school hardcore sound with a more metallic edge, maybe like Integrity's Seasons in the Size of Days era meets American Nightmare or Carry on. A lot of the approach back then was to also keep the songs simple enough to have a revolving door of musicians so we could stay on tour. I have always said it was meant to be like Bad Religion's Suffer where the songs may be easy and repetitive, but they were written in a way where I could say a lot. What was being said was always a focus of the band's vision.

We've certainly become more "musical" and slightly more eclectic over the years, and that has just been a natural progression. I think the 2018-2019 material veered so far into the technical metal territory that our old fans struggled to really accept that era of the band as Die Young. Even though I personally love those songs, we've left that approach to songwriting behind, and we've gone back to what I think works better for us. With this new record, I am the primary riff-writer again, and my style picks up where we left off with the No Illusions LP from 2016. I think if you like that record or the Loss EP from 2008, or the comeback record Chosen Path from 2014, then this new record will absolutely hit home for you.

It's not the super stripped down hardcore punk sounding Die Young from the earliest 7-inches, but it's still hardcore punk with depth, dark melody, and crushingly heavy breakdowns that we have been writing since the Graven Images record, only I think it's better, as we have evolved in the skill of making a record. Now that we're not a full-time touring band, we just try to spend more time perfecting what we're laying to tape, and I think this record is as close as we've ever gotten to capturing Die Young perfectly. 

Listen to "Until You Die" below: