Familiar sound

Anberlin’s New Surrender is a lot like last year’s Cities—and that’s good | David Sessions

James Minchin

Anberlin leads a class of bands that is difficult to explain from a marketing perspective. They boast an army of die-hard fans large enough to generate consistent commercial success, came of age on the roster of forward-thinking Tooth & Nail Records, and have released single after single that simply begs for national blowup.

Anberlin so commands the emo (indie rock) underground that it is inexplicable how they still fly under the national radar. Last year's Cities, the near-flawless culmination of their previous flashes of promise, rammed hard against the brick wall that has stood between nearly every strong Tooth & Nail act and mainstream success. It debuted at No. 19 on the Billboard 200 and made a strong showing in the iTunes bestselling albums list. Still, Anberlin has yet to launch a charting single on mainstream radio.