A new report suggests Ahren Stringer is still tied to The Amity Affliction despite his very public departure last year.
The Australian post-hardcore heavyweights announced that Stringer was no longer with the group in February 2025 and have recently turned a new page with new music and album, House of Cards, set for release on April 24th.
However, according to Blunt, corporate filings show the company behind the Gympie-founded outfit entered a formal restructuring process last year to manage almost $650,000 in debt, meaning Stringer remains a co-owner and director of the company. 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’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.
He 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 House of Cards impending release.
“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.”
“We recorded in a house on the water in the middle of nowhere. It’s the first [time] I’ve ever enjoyed recording. Ever.”
