Renacer (Spanish: "to be reborn") is the fifth studio album by American post-hardcore band Senses Fail, released on March 26, 2013.
It is the first album without founding member and guitarist Garrett Zablocki, Matt Smith (of Strike Anywhere) joined as his replacement. Jason Black, the band's bassist did not participate in the writing/recording of the album due to obligations with Hot Water Music, Zack Roach instead performed bass on the album. It is also the last album to feature long time drummer, Dan Trapp, as he parted ways with the band in late 2014. The album is the first Senses Fail album to explore heavier sounds, such as metalcore, hardcore punk, and sludge metal.
Background
In January 2011, founding guitarist Garrett Zablocki left the group and was replaced by Matt Smith of Strike Anywhere. After a UK tour in February and a US tour in March, the group mainly hung out in the following season, occasionally playing shows. During this time, they met up to figure out the new writing process between existing guitarist Zach Roach and the newly-added Smith to see how things would play out, rather than actually writing new material. In February 2012, the band started writing for their next album. In April, vocalist Buddy Nielsen revealed that the group planned to record following their stint on the Warped Tour.
They had been writing new material on and off for sometime, and were aiming to continue writing during Warped Tour. In addition, they expected to have a new album out by February or March 2013. While on Warped Tour, the group released a best-of compilation Follow Your Bliss: The Best of Senses Fail. On their tour bus, they set up a V-drum kit in the back lounge of their tour bus and would take turns jamming with drummer Dan Trapp. They shared the rough ideas from each day with the rest of the members and rework them over a period of time. Following the tour's conclusion, Nielsen and Trapp spent time in a mutual friend's studio making demos for future reference.
Production
Sessions for their new album took place in Los Angeles, California with producer Shaun Lopez. The band opted to work with Lopez, as opposed to Brian McTernan, who produced the group's preceding three studio albums, as they "needed to change everything up", according to Nielsen. He theorised they wouldn't have written the songs they did if they knew they'd be using McTernan again. Both Nielsen and Trapp wanted to work with someone else and record in a different studio. Nielsen said Lopez's prior experience with Far, Crosses and Deftones was "perfect for where we were trying to go." Recording started on November 13, 2012; by November 17, they had finished tracking drums at Red Bull Studios. That same day, Smith laid down scratch guitar for the songs.
The group took November 19 off as Lopez wanted to spend the day working on the drums. The following day, they relocated to Lopez's The Airport Studio to track bass, which was done by November 23. Roach remarked they felt like "kids in a candy store" as Lopez's studio had around 30 guitars and hundreds of vintage guitar pedals they could work with. They tracked rhythm guitars and vocals into early December, typically with guitars being done until 8 pm, by which point they'd shift to vocals. With most of the guitars done, the group minus Nielsen would spend time relaxing at their apartment or looking around Los Angeles, before going back to the studio to hear Nielsen's vocals. Eventually, Roach and Smith flew home, leaving Nielsen and Trapp to finish minor parts and supervise the mixing process.
Composition
According to the band's bio-page on Staple Records, the album title Renacer means "to be reborn" in Spanish. This serves as the main theme of the album as Nielsen wanted to take a heavier and more adventurous creative direction. "Mi Amor" is sung mostly in Spanish, Nielsen stated: "We have always wanted to do a song in Spanish... I was searching for a different type of screaming pattern for the song and decided to try to write a line or two in Spanish—just to see if it would spark an idea. I went line by line translating from English to Spanish—all the while making sure the rhyme scheme worked out and it actually made sense. It came together so well that I just rolled with it.”. "The Path" is about approaching life with a positive attitude.