Ahren Stringer (former Amity Affliction clean vocalist and bassist) and Yung Yogi (Gus Farias, former Volumes frontman) have formed a new band called Self Checkout.
After meeting over a decade ago on Warped Tour in 2013, the pair ended up sharing a tour bus the following year across Europe, becoming good friends.
While both of their respective bands went on to achieve huge success in the coming years, both Stringer and Farias battled addiction, each leaving their bands and admitting themselves into rehab, thus planting the seeds for Self Checkout’s eventual emergence years later.
“Yeah, we both needed rehab,” says Stringer (as per Blunt). “We have both lived such similar lifestyles… and we just ended up just joining forces and just being like, ‘Let’s start a new band.'”
Diving into a fresh era as musicians, the name Self Checkout incorporates confronting yourself and navigating recovery and grief.
“We’re just trying to, you know, raise awareness,” Stringer says. “It just makes sense, because we’ve lost some of our friends to suicide.”
The new band’s identity reflects where both artists are at both personally and musically, with Stringer and Yogi’s aiming to shine light on mental health stigmas through their own unique experiences.
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Earlier this year after months of public tension, The Amity Affliction announced Stringer’s departure from the band.
Despite the controversy, he’s determined to prove doubters wrong. “I know we both have a very bad reputation because we’re like admitted addicts, everyone thinks we’re just like POS, but you’re gonna see that we’re not,” Stringer adds.
“We’re gonna prove the world wrong. And we want to thank you guys for sticking with us and we hope you love what we’ve produced. It’s gonna be fire.”
While there hasn’t been an official announcement for new music, the pair are currently cooped up in a studio somewhere in Mexico City working on a new project, with two tracks nearly complete as their legions of fans wait in anticipation.
“One is heavy, the other one is a love song,” says Stringer. “It’s gonna be an eclectic mix, some would say a cosmic gumbo.”
