The Amity Affliction are a Australian post-hardcore band formed in Gympie, Queensland in 2003 by high school friends Ahren Stringer and Troy Brady. The name is a tribute to a mutual friend they both lost to a car accident. Along with bassist Garth Buchanan and drummer Lachlan Faulkner, the group released their self-titled demo "The Amity Affliction" in 2004. It wasn't until late-2004 that Joel Birch would join as a vocalist. In mid-2005, the band released their self-titled EP "The Amity Affliction". Garth and Lachlan would depart from the group in 2007, and the lineup change would consist of hiring Troels Thommason on drums, Chris Burt on guitar, Ahren would take up bass, and Trad Nathan on the keyboard. Together, they would release their second EP "High Hopes" in the same year. In 2008, Troels would depart from the group to be replaced with Chris's brother, Ryan Burt. Their first album "Severed Ties" would be released in the same year through Boomtown Records. Late-2009 would see the planned departure of Chris from the band, with Clint Ellis to take his place. In April 2010, the group would begin recording their second album, "Youngbloods", which would be released on June 18th through Boomtown Records, as well as Shock Records. In October 2010, "Glory Days" was announced and would be released on November 26th as a compilation of previous EPs, Demos, and Youngbloods B-Sides. On February 8th 2012, the band signed with Roadrunner Records and began recording their third studio album on May 7th. "Chasing Ghosts" would be released worldwide by September 18th, following guitarist replacements leaving Dan Brown on guitar. The 2013 Vans Warped Tour proved to be a defining point for the group, when Joel Birch nearly died during the Pittsburgh show due to severe dehydration. This event was the basis of the single "Pittsburgh", which was the first single off their upcoming fourth album "Let The Ocean Take Me", which was released on April 14th, 2014. Troy would depart from the band on October 11th 2014, leaving Ahren as the only remaining founding member. The band would release a documentary about the group on July 10th 2015, titled "Seems Like Forever". The band announced their fifth album "This Could Be Heartbreak" via Facebook on May 18th 2016, which was released on August 12th. This album would be the first to include clean vocals from Joel, which was a sign of the band's migration to a softer sound. Following numerous tours, Ryan announced his departure from the group on February 5th, 2018, citing mental health concerns. On June 20th, the group released the music video for Ivy (Doomsday), which was one of three parts in a short film, as well as the first single for their sixth and most controversial album to date, "Misery", which was released August 24th, with Joe Longobardi on the drums for recording.