Written by Sosefina Fuamoli | Photo by Bryce Hall

A potent urgency threads its way through each crushing breakdown and raw vocal that Tyler Levenson unleashes on an Afterlife record. Chaotic and vicious in areas, while also taking moments to express vulnerability and emotion through it all, Afterlife’s music has evolved in a way that has matched the ever-growing chemistry of the group.

Finding one another in their local scene in 2017, the West Palm Beach, FL group have built a catalogue of music that effortlessly weaves between alternative and heavy metal, while bringing in brushstrokes of hip hop and cinematic arrangements to make a signature sound of their own. 

The band has grown in profile and prominence since their debut record Breaking Point brought them to more audiences in 2019, consistently releasing projects that spoke to their desire to level up artistically, without ever forgetting about the heart and purpose existing at the core of the songwriting that put them on the map in the first place.

For Levenson, music has been more than a creative avenue - it has been a lifesaver and constant north star. His journey to eventually founding Afterlife with Andrew McGuire, Luke Walkinshaw and Tristan Edwards, was one hard-travelled. 

Years of personal turbulence and upheaval left Levenson with scars and trauma that understandably, can take a lifetime to work through and heal from. Yet in finding community, brotherhood and music at this particular personal crossroads, the songwriter has been able to enter a version of adulthood that is built around empowerment and the ability to pull strength from pain. 

It’s this spectrum of emotion and learning that forms the heart of Afterlife’s new album, The Pain That Shapes Us. Released five years on from their last record Part Of Me, this stride forward from the group marks a triumphant return as much it represents poignancy and nuance in Levenson’s own lyrical and songwriting journey.

“Going into this record, going into the studio, we understood that we had a very important record to make,” Levenson remembers. “With signing to a new label and all the things the band had hoped to do, we really had to lock in and create a record that would be a defining record for the band.”

“We did our best to hear every idea out. No matter how ridiculous it sounded or how out there it was, we had to hear it out because we had to make sure that nothing went on the record that wasn’t meant to be there. That resulted in an album where I know every song on it is purposeful. I didn’t want to come back with a record that felt like we just had to check a box.” 

The determination and intention behind this record can be heard through each track. Album opener, "A Thousand Warnings", leads with the energy that feels pulled directly from the Gojira playbook – a direct compliment that Levenson is excited to hear others pick up on.

The tenacity of "Bad Habits", bleeding into album highlight "Vertigo". The latter, a song Levenson describes as being heavily inspired by the emotional depth and range found on records like Deftones’ Private Music and Thornhill’s Bodies, balances the familiarity of the Afterlife sound, with confident moves into new facets of songwriting that Levenson had not quite broached before. 

It is clear that the frontman is, first and foremost, a devoted lover of the way lyrics can amplify a powerful musical moment, and vice versa. Perhaps this plays into how The Pain That Shapes Us continues to reveal itself to the listener in different ways, with each playback.

“There are some records that I just have to listen to, front to back, purely because of how they make me feel,” Levenson muses. 

“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve listened to Meteora front to back; Hybrid Theory, front to back. Some of my favourite artists who aren’t in the rock or metal world, like Dermot Kennedy…he’s quite possibly one of my favourite artists. His ability to paint a picture within his music and lyrics - it’s so sad, but yet so hopeful. I channelled as much as I could, respectfully, from him, into this record. I think there are so many ways to say one thing and he just has beautiful songwriting.

I’m so inspired by so many things, especially for this album. I couldn’t really channel that on previous records. I thought I had to be a particular sort of artist for a particular sort of song. This allowed me much more freedom to explore.”

Being able to transport himself back to those painful chapters of his upbringing and young adulthood, in order to create music that engages and - hopefully - has the ability to heal some wounds, is a task that asks a lot of a songwriter, period.

The emotional labour of bringing one’s lived-experiences together with art that is being made to be shared with the public can be overwhelming. As Levenson describes, creating The Pain That Shapes Us was another lesson in realising that music can be bigger than the people making it.

“I can really sit back and look at it as a finished product, and be happy and proud of it,” he says. 

“It was a conversation, when we were deciding on the title of the record…there was some indifference about the title. We ultimately ended up on The Pain That Shapes Us. I said to all my guys, “If we put this record out and people don’t like the title, that’s fine. I love the title, it means something to me, the same way these songs do…” I think that reaching that point as an artist, where you love the music regardless of how it is perceived, is very special.”

“I’d be a liar to say that there was no doubt at any point during the making of this, but I think that just comes with being an artist,” Levenson adds. 

“With so much time in between albums, we had to be really sure of ourselves. If we weren’t, it would show, the listener would know. That’s not something we wanted to feel, listening back. We wanted to be proud of it. We probably have another album’s worth of songs that didn’t make it. I feel that we really challenged ourselves and I think that’s where we were at - we had to challenge ourselves, we had to see where we could take this band, for the betterment of the band.”

When we connect with Levenson, the countdown to the release of The Pain That Shapes Us is entering its final weeks. And while preparation for the band’s upcoming live shows for the rest of 2026 is clearly the main focus, their schedule for next year is already falling into place. 

Levenson smiles with a genuine mix of excitement and anticipation when he speaks of where The Pain That Shapes Us could potentially take Afterlife. 

This is an album that in some ways, has redefined the group. It has sharpened their vision for where they want to go next together as a band, and for Levenson, it has given him a fresh perspective on how he wants his art to connect with more audiences: new and dedicated day ones alike.

“When we were going into this record, we stepped back and asked ourselves what our strongest suits were. Being honest is at the top of that list,” he says. “As the singer and lyricist of the band, I wanted to leave it all on the table for our listener. I had to confront some very personal feelings with that.” 

Referring to the band’s track, "Sick Of It", he explains, “When I was writing that song, I was mentally exhausted. I was confused. I felt that I had to keep re-opening all these traumatic experiences and wounds, things I’d experienced in my life, just to get a song out. 

I felt like if I were to go write a song or do something for an album, I’d have to put myself through this really depressive situation. It led me to think at times, was I anything more than pain? Was I anything more than my struggles or shortcomings? There had to be more to me than just this. It put me in a really interesting position when I was writing the record.”

Moving forward in finding light in the darkness of life, channelling this into work and music that can be accessed by anyone who is also seeking similar avenues of solace or connection, Levenson remains strongly aware of the role music plays in the wider Afterlife community.

Where there is so much music, content and news being pushed on us at any time of the day, cut-through has never been harder to achieve.

Levenson is hoping to create a space where the Afterlife fans and anyone who comes by their music or performances, can continue to thrive with one another beyond the art.

“There are a lot of bands that I respect and look up to, that create a world for their fans to live in,” he says. “When the band is not at the forefront, that world is thriving and growing in the background. That’s what I want for us. I’m really excited to go out there and meet all these new fans, because from the first single to now, we’ve grown quite a bit. I really want to go out there and meet these people who are discovering the band. I want to see these songs connect with them, and I think that’s what I’m most excited about. 

I look at bands like Spiritbox and LOATHE, they have these intricate, beautiful worlds that are built outside their band for their fans and community to thrive in. I hope that’s something we can continue building within our community as well. I want to continue fostering it and growing it, getting to know the community - that’s the most important thing, at the end of the day.”

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The new album from Afterlife, The Pain That Shapes Us, arrives November 6th via Mascot Records. Order the album - HERE