Alternative Press teamed up with Jack’s Mannequin for exclusive vinyl of Everything In Transit, limited to 300 copies. Head to the AP Shop to grab yours.
“Transit was more than a record to me,” Andrew McMahon says, reflecting on the 2005 Jack’s Mannequin album that documented his return to Orange County, the end of a long-term relationship, and his leukemia diagnosis. “It was a window into one of the most chaotic, heartbreaking, and beautiful times in my life. I had so much to lose, and somehow I was more fearless than I’d ever been or will ever be. Twenty years later, I still love these songs as much as I did when they came to life in the speakers for the very first time.”
After getting together to play 20th anniversary reunion shows earlier this summer, picking back up overseas in September, the band just surprise-released their Everything In Transit: Strings Attached EP. Produced by Suzy Shinn, the project goes for an orchestral update, adding strings from violinist Allie Stamler (Polyglam) to “Dark Blue,” “The Mixed Tape,” “Holiday From Real,” “I’m Ready,” and “Bruised.”
Read more: AFI’s new album Silver Bleeds the Black Sun… explores life in a dystopian world
“We had no idea what we were trying to make when we decided to cut this record,” McMahon adds. “It was very similar to Transit in that sense. I showed up with the songs, and we just started experimenting. Halfway through the first day, the piano strings were covered in mounting putty, and I remember thinking two things: This is so much fun, and what the hell have I gotten myself into? The revelation came when Suzy Shinn, my longtime friend and producer, invited Allie Stamler over at the end of the first session. Allie is a brilliant violinist, and the two of us just hung out in Suzy’s living room with a mic and arranged string parts in real time. It was so clear that we had found an angle on these songs that felt fresh, and we basically told Allie she was stuck with us for the next couple weeks. It was such a free and creative process, and it made reworking the songs feel like a worthwhile endeavor, rather than some box to check for an album anniversary.”
Stream their Everything In Transit: Strings Attached EP below.