Nevertake Reviews Personally
Today at midnight, Anberlin dropped the album Nevertake – a full rerecording of the album Never Take Friendship Personally with new touring lead singer Matty Mullins. The original lead singer of Anberlin, Stephen Christian, said he was taking an indefinite hiatus from touring with Anberlin in 2023. He hand-picked Matty Mullins of Memphis May Fire to replace him on the tour.
However, since then, the band has released several songs featuring Mullins on lead vocals. Two of the songs on the most recent album, 2024’s Vega, featured Mullins as the lead vocal. The newest single, High Stakes, also features Mullins on lead vocals.
Anberlin is currently in the middle of touring the 20th anniversary of Never Take Friendship Personal. I had the pleasure of seeing the show early in the tour in February. It was my first time seeing Anberlin with Mullins as lead and the show did not disappoint. I was honestly nervous about how the show would sound without Christian, the vocals of my young adulthood. (Enjoy some pictures of the show throughout the review.)
This review is not about this show though that information does provide context. To say I was caught offguard when I found out Nevertake was a full rerecord with Mullins is an understatement. I knew Mullins would be the touring voice, and he is obviously providing vocals on some of the new songs, but this almost seems a step further away from Christian’s involvement in the band.
Furthermore, I have a confession…
I like Nevertake better. Like, a lot better.
I sat and made a playlist of both albums interwoven – original, new, original, new – to truly see where the differences were. After a play-through, I focused on my favorites from the album: Paperthin Hymn, (The Symphony of) Blase, and – naturally – The/A Feel Good Drag (which has the change of “the” to “a” in the re-release).
In all of them, I like the Mullins version better – especially A Feel Good Drag. I sat and thought about why. Was it just the vocals? I tend to gravitate towards heavier vocals in my music. Truth be told, while I love Anberlin, they are probably my husband’s top band ever. Christian’s vocals are softer and more melodic than Mullins’ heavier, more driving vocal style.
It’s not just the vocals though. The guitars are more vivid, the drums more pronounced. Maybe it’s a comparison of 2005 recording vs 2025 recordings, but the original music seems more muted to match Christian’s softer vocals. The new recordings seem to match the heavier direction the band wants to take.
But don’t take my word that this is the direction the band is going. During the show we attended, Mullins made it very clear that the heavier sound is all belonging to the remaining members of Anberlin. The new song he most had influence over is High Stakes and he wanted it to have a more pop-rock sound in-line of old school Anberlin.
This rerecord seems to leave a slew of questions in it’s wake for fans of Anberlin. What role does Christian play in the band going forward? Is Mullins the true future of Anberlin or is he an addition? The band photos all feature Mullins and Christian – seeming to point towards a combined future. The artist bylines on Nevertake are all “Anberlin, Matty Mullins” – indicating he is not a full-fledged member of Anberlin. Will we ever have a situation similar to the new Three Days Grace with two leader singers?
While the future of Anberlin seems unclear, I can say a few things with certainty: Matty Mullins is a perfect addition, I love the direction they are headed, and Nevertake is well worth the listen.
(Even if I feel a little guilty at liking Nevertake more than the original.)