Zooming in from the outside of the band’s venue while on tour, Tyler “Telle” Smith, lead vocalist of the Arizona-formed rock band The Word Alive— the other members are guitarists Zack Hansen and Jose DelRio, and drummer Daniel Nelson— is eager to chat about his band’s seventh studio album Hard Reset, out on August 25th via Thriller Records. Wearing glasses and running his hands through his blond hair, Smith explains the genesis of the album’s title came from a larger pattern of change in the world. ” I think [that] 2020 was a forced hard rest for a lot of people, in a lot of industries and people with their jobs, also mentally.” The pandemic made Smith and the rest of the band pause and reflect on their journey and their battles with fear and inner doubts. “The Word Alive came to a complete standstill. Being in a band, we were the first industry to go and the last to come back. When you’ve dedicated your entire adult life to something and that’s just taken away, a part of your individual identity was stripped away. We had lineup changes because it makes you pause. It makes you (ask the question) ‘Am I doing what I want to be doing? What else is there that I might want to do?’ It was great for our band because it forced changes internally that are better for everyone.” With those reflections in mind, Hard Reset ushers in a new era for Smith and the band, one that sees them find their stride. They are reborn as an energized group, diving into experimentation with singles such as the ballad “Slow Burn” and the inventive “One Of Us” featuring Bad Omens vocalist Noah Sebastian, While paying homage to their roots, The Word Alive sonically evolve over the course of the 13 track album, ready to put the past behind them and embrace the future.
Formed in Phoenix, Arizona in 2008 by Craig Mabbit, the metalcore outfit signed to Fearless Records in 2009, later moving on to Thriller Records in 2022. Smith joined the band in December 2008, releasing the group’s debut EP Empire in 2009, reaching No. 15 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart. Multiple changes in both lineup and sound followed the band’s journey through the industry. Change is the only constant in life and within The Word Alive’s sound due to morphing in real time across multiple records such 2010’s Deciever, 2016’s Dark Matter, and 2018’s Violent Noise. Filled with catchy hooks and shredding guitars, Hard Reset is different from the band’s earlier material For this record, Smith wanted to have a “more focused vision” while maintaining the “gratitude” that he has for being in the industry. “Our band is unique in that we’ve had so many different inspirations as we progressed through our lives and I think that shines album to album. There’s no album I would say sounds the same as another album. Some people love that, some people hate that. For us, we never wanted to write the same record twice.”
Smith seeks to show listeners “the lane of The Word Alive” on this new record, focusing on “pulling from the best parts and the aspects that we love most about our band” while “putting more thought into this album, from the song choices to the tracklist.” Filled with catchy hooks and shredding guitars, Hard Reset is different from the band’s earlier material in the way it confronts the hardship of navigating uncertainty, existentialism, and facing fear and its melting of sounds that would delight fans and new listeners alike. The opening track “The World Alive Is Dead’ sets the tone for the rest of the record— the band is meshing their earlier eras while exploring new sounds, subjects, and songwriting techniques.The title track “Hard Reset” showcases the band’s heavier side while “Static Rain” illustrates their range and ability to be experimental. “This record shows that The Word Alive is never going to be one thing.”
For the first time, the band collaborated with a trio of producers—Matt Good (Sleeping With Sirens, Asking Alexandria), Erik Ron (Godsmack, Bush) , and Hiram Hernandez (D.R.U.G.S. , Blessthefall) —and vocal features abound on the record, with tracks featuring an array of talents such as “Hate Me” with Loveless’ Julian Comeau and “War With You” featuring From First to Last, which is something that Smith loves. “I’ve always loved working with our friends and great vocalists. It’s just fun. I love the collaboration aspect of making music.” Without time constraints due to the pandemic, Smith was able to reach out to those that he had always wanted to work with. The first person that Smith asked to work with was Craig from Escape The Fate because they have been discussing a collaboration for over 10 years, before moving onto working with Phillip from Normandie on “A New Empty,” Julian Comeau of Loveless on “Hate Me,” and Noah Sebastian from Bad Omens on “One Of Us”. “When I would listen to the songs, I would listen for two things: Would a feature make this song better than it already is or would it take away from what I’m saying? ‘A New Empty’ felt like it needed someone and it had this back-and-forth feeling to it when I listened to it.” Collaborating with Comeau was “super fun, super easy” after Smith and himself became friends online, and Sebastian, a co-writing partner of Smith with whom he records guest vocals with at the former’s studio, was a “perfect fit” for “One Of Us.”
For Smith, the record is about more than starting another era for the band— it is a rebirth for the group and a vessel of connection with fans, a push to think about the state of the world at large.”Lyrically, ‘Nocturnal Futur'” is the headspace i wanted to lead the album with. It’s just about asking ourselves ‘What are we going to do to change things? We can see it. The world is regressing right now and going backwards. It feels like music is one of the few things that can rise through really hard times in the world.” The singer hopes that listeners “find something worthy of connection,” helping them to overcome obstacles in life or find the escape that they may be seeking.
Overall, Smith says that he hopes that the record has a positive impact on people. “A lot of the songs feel negative but it’s more therapeutic and cathartic to get those things out rather than keeping it in.” “I think music can make you very self-reflective like ‘Man, I’ve felt this way before’ or ‘This is how I feel and I couldn’t put it into words.’ I think this record is special and I spent a lot of time really wanting to focus on what it says and how it’s said.”
Hard Reset is available from Thriller Records. Follow The World Alive on Instagram for future updates.
Photo courtesy of Wolfe Eliot.
