Ahren Stringer, the former bassist and co-vocalist of The Amity Affliction, has candidly opened up about the role that addiction and alcohol played in his departure from the band.
In a new interview with Matt Bunting, promoting his new project Self Checkout, Stringer addressed the personal struggles that contributed to the end of his more than 20-year tenure with the Australian post-hardcore outfit.
Reflecting on the way his exit was initially described, Stringer said he was taken aback by how the situation was framed. “It was just this very, very vague statement that the band put out about me being an addict,” he explained. “And I’m like, I don’t do drugs. I don’t even smoke weed, occasionally I do, but alcohol was my drug of choice. And that was what led to my downfall many times in my life.
“Since then I’ve cleaned myself up, I’m taking more stronger antidepressants and antipsychotics, stuff that I never really knew that I needed,” he continued. “Having that time off to focus on myself, rather than just run myself into the ground like I’ve done so many times.”
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Stringer’s departure from The Amity Affliction in 2025 was quickly followed by a trademark battle. Documents published online by IP Australia, the federal government agency that administers intellectual property rights and legislation for patents, trademarks, and design rights, revealed both parties are engaged in a tug-of-war over the band’s name and its reproduction on recordings and elsewhere.
Stringer had filed separate trademark applications for “The Amity Affliction” and “Amity Affliction” under Class 41, covering music production, publishing, and entertainment services, and Class 9, covering audio recordings featuring music.
Despite the very public departure, a new report earlier this month suggested Stringer is still tied to the band. Corporate filings showed the company behind The Amity Affliction entered a formal restructuring process last year to manage almost $650,000 in debt, meaning Stringer remains a co-owner and director. It’s reported that the company owed $646,000 in debt, with the majority owed to the Australian Taxation office. The band reportedly entered a formal plan to repay around $512,000 over three years.
Stringer went on to launch new band Self Checkout but was hospitalised in September 2025 in what the group described as a “serious and unexpected emergency”.
Meanwhile, in a recent interview with Rolling Stone AU/NZ, frontman Joel Birch said he and The Amity Affliction are excited for the next chapter and their forthcoming album House of Cards, due out next month.
“I think that me and Dan [Brown] were on the same page for this one where we just wanted to do what people love about the band,” Birch said. “And I mean, that’s just screaming and a big chorus. It’s what we’ve done forever. We just wanted to make sure they were good ones… It’s the first [time] I’ve ever enjoyed recording. Ever.”
