New Years Day (band)

New Years Day is an American rock band formed in Anaheim, California, in 2005. After building a reputation strictly through promotion on the social networking website MySpace, the band released its debut self-titled EP in 2006 and their first full-length album My Dear in 2007. Six years after their initial debut, Victim to Villain was finally released, followed by Malevolence in 2015. Malevolence peaked at No. 45 on the Billboard 200, the band's highest charting thus far.

2005: Inception and formation
New Years Day formed in 2005, after bassist Adam Lohrbach left the band Home Grown. Lohrbach carried over the many emotional elements present in Home Grown's final 2004 EP When It All Comes Down and cultivated it into new material for New Years Day. Meeting with lead vocalist Ashley "Ash" Costello (born 1985) and guitarist/keyboardist Keith Drover, the three friends wrote and rehearsed songs about their difficult and emotional relationship break-ups. Soon after, the group produced a two-song demo and invited a mutual friend of the group, Eric Seilo, to play bass during their 2005 tours. Ultimately, Seilo left New Years Day at the end of 2005 to pursue higher education. After acquiring former Wakefield guitarist Mike Schoolden and drummer Russell Dixon, the group decided to call themselves New Years Day.

2006–2010: Razor and My Dear
The band built a surprisingly strong online presence through showcasing, promotion and posting songs on MySpace. New Years Day was featured on the MySpace Records, Volume 1 compilation CD and on the video game soundtrack for Saints Row. After considering an offer from Pete Wentz's Decaydance Records label, the band decided to sign with TVT Records instead and released their first self-titled EP in 2006. Originally referred to as Razor, the EP was primarily marketed as a digital release accessible through downloading services, although CD hard copies were also sold to fans at live shows. New Years Day performed at the South by Southwest music festival the following year.

By May 8, 2007, New Years Day released its debut album My Dear, which was self-financed, self-produced and recorded over an eight-month period by friend and producer Eugene Perreras. The album included collaborations with members of Reel Big Fish and Motion City Soundtrack. During this period of time, the band toured with fellow artists, The Fall of Troy, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Ozma and Hawthorne Heights. Guitarist Keith Drover left the band shortly after touring to move to Sweden. The band debuted the music video for the lead single "I Was Right", directed by Shane Drake. Notably, the video won the MTVU "Freshman Face" poll and was added to the channel's ongoing playlist.

In 2008, TVT went bankrupt and was forced to sell its recording assets to The Orchard. Consequently, My Dear lacked the proper promotion required to succeed and Schoolden and Lohrbach both left the band shortly thereafter. Despite the small setbacks, the remaining members continued writing new material. Around September 2009, New Years Day posted two brand new songs on MySpace. When asked about the upcoming EP, Costello remarked, "The EP is in its demo phase right now and we are still writing for it and recording it at the same time. The EP should be out in the spring of 2010."

2010–2012: Headlines & Headstones and The Mechanical Heart
On March 12, 2010, Alternative Press announced that New Years Day would be joining the 2010 Vans Warped Tour. On July 2, 2010, the band released its Japanese debut album, Headlines & Headstones under Spinning Inc. Headlines & Headstones included music from New Years Day, My Dear, new songs from their upcoming sophomore U.S. album and even a cover of Lady Gaga's Bad Romance.

New Years Day welcomed guitarist Matthew Lindblad as its newest member on January 31, 2011, replacing Dan Arnold. Soon after Lindblad joined, the band also brought in Jake Jones as an additional guitarist. On May 15, 2011, Hollywood Waste announced New Years Day as its newest addition to label. The band's EP, titled "The Mechanical Heart", was released on June 21, 2011.

From October to December, the band toured in support of Blood on the Dance Floor on the "All the Rage Tour". Nikki Misery joined the band on this tour as its lead guitarist, replacing Matthew Lindblad who pursued a solo career. Nikki Misery was a recent graduate of Musicians Institute, hailing from Santa Ana with roots in New Orleans.

2013–2015: Victim to Villain and Epidemic
New Years Day released its second album Victim to Villain in June 2013 through Century Media Records. The band joined the 2013 Vans Warped Tour and performed 40 shows, "the longest-running touring music festival in North America" to this day. The band jumped on back-to-back tours with Otep and Stolen Babies in Fall 2013 and William Control and Combichrist in Spring 2014.

In early 2014, Nick Turner and Jake Jones left the band and were replaced by Nick Rossi and Tyler Burgess, respectively. New Years Day embarked on a European tour with Escape the Fate and Glamour of the Kill in the following months. The band parted ways with their previous label, Century Media Records and released of the first single off their upcoming Epidemic EP titled Other Side through Grey Area Records on November 18, 2014. When asked about the new EP, Costello commented in an Alternative Press interview, "We've taken what we have experienced in the past year and a half and poured it all into these new songs... It's something we know everyone can relate to on their own level. The world can infect us with its negativity, and it's okay to struggle with it. That's truly what Epidemic is about. Owning the diseased parts of us and turning it into a strength."

The band followed up the release of Epidemic on The Superstition Tour with Australian art rockers the Red Paintings. On December 22, 2014, the band made a special appearance on the "Beyond the Barricade Tour" with Motionless in White, For Today and Ice Nine Kills in Spring 2015. Just before the tour, Anthony Barro left the band to pursue a career in sound engineering and in turn, Burgess moved from guitar to fill the bass position. This transition opened the door for California native and metal songwriter Jeremy Valentyne to join the band on rhythm guitar.

2015–2022: Malevolence and Unbreakable
In February 2015, New Years Day announced that it would once again play the Vans Warped Tour on the Journey's Left Foot Stage. The band performed at the tour's kickoff party in Los Angeles in April alongside Metro Station, Crossfaith and As It Is. Burgess left the band soon after the kickoff party, and Chris Khaos filled in for bass as a tour member.

In Fall of 2015, the band announced their third album, Malevolence and debuted the song "Kill or Be Killed" while on tour. The single was released on June 26, 2015.

On August 12, 2015, the band announced its first headlining tour: the Other Side Tour. Supporting bands on the tour included Get Scared, Eyes Set to Kill, the Relapse Symphony, and Darksiderz. On the eve of the album's release, New Years Day held a YouNow streaming chat with fans to celebrate the completion of Malevolence. During this chat, the band introduced Brandon Wolfe on bass and Daniel Trixx on drums.

In 2016, New Years Day covered the My Chemical Romance song "Sleep" for a Rock Sound tribute CD. After Wolfe's departure, Former Static-X member Frankie Sil was welcomed to the group as its new bassist. Trixx also left the band that same year and was replaced by Canadian rock drummer Joshua Ingram. In November 2016, the band embarked on "The Retrograde Tour" in support of Crown the Empire and Blessthefall.

The following year, New Years Day performed at the 2017 Alternative Press Music Awards (APMAs) with guest vocalist Lzzy Hale. The band also headlined the 2017 Vans Warped Tour alongside other main stage acts like Bowling for Soup, Falling in Reverse and CKY. On June 1, 2017, it was announced they would be included in the seventh installment of the Fearless Records compilation Punk Goes Pop, covering Kehlani's "Gangsta" from the movie Suicide Squad. The album was released on July 14, 2017. After completing a month-long festival run with Halestorm on the 2017 "Halloween Scream Tour", both Valentyne and Ingram quietly parted ways with the band. On January 26, 2018, the band released the EP Diary of a Creep with covers and original songs.

New Years Day embarked on the 2018 "Witching Hour Tour" in support of In This Moment alongside special guest, P.O.D.

On November 9, 2018, the band released a new single, "Skeletons," from their upcoming album Unbreakable, which was set to be released in early 2019. In early February 2019, Costello stated that Unbreakable's sound will be significantly heavier than Malevolence, and thematically, will focus more on empowerment, and less on the negativity and self-pity of past albums. On March 1, 2019, the band released the second single from the album, "Shut Up". The song peaked at number 17 on the Mainstream Rock Charts in May 2019. A third single, "Come For Me", was released on April 5, 2019. Unbreakable officially debuted on April 26, 2019.

At night two of WWE WrestleMania 37, New Years Day performed live Rhea Ripley's theme song Brutality as she made her entrance to the ring. Costello is the featured vocalist of the recorded song by CFO$. Shortly after, bassist Frankie Sil announced on his Instagram that he had left the band.

2022–present: Return and Half Black Heart
On August 12, 2022, the band released their first new song in 3 years titled "Hurts Like Hell". this song also debuted a new lineup that features returning members Jeremy Valentyne and Brandon Wolfe on rhythm guitar and bass, Nikki Misery returning to lead guitar, and new member Tommy Rockoff on drums and vocals.

The band began night 1 of WWE’s NXT Halloween Havoc (October 24, 2023) with their song "Vampyre". On November 17, 2023, the band released the song "Secrets" and announced that their upcoming fifth album, Half Black Heart, will be released on March 1, 2024.

Band members
Current members
 * Ash Costello – lead vocals (2005–present)
 * Nikki Misery – lead guitar (2011-2018, 2018, 2022–present), rhythm guitar (2018-2022) , bass (2016, 2021-2022) , drums (2018-2022)
 * Brandon Wolfe – bass (2015–2016, 2022–present)
 * Jeremy Valentyne – rhythm guitar (2015–2017, 2022–present), backing vocals (2015–2017, 2022–present) , bass (2016)
 * Tommy Rockoff – drums (2022-2023, 2024-Present)

Touring members
 * Longineu W. Parsons III − drums (2019–2021)

Former members


 * Eric Seilo – bass (2005)
 * Adam Lohrbach – lead guitar (2005), bass (2005–2007) , backing vocals (2005–2007)
 * Mike Schoolden – lead guitar, backing vocals (2005–2008)
 * Keith Drover – rhythm guitar, keyboards, backing vocals (2005–2008)
 * Dan Arnold – lead guitar (2010)
 * Matthew Lindblad – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2011)
 * Russell Dixon – drums (2005–2013)
 * Anthony Barro – bass, unclean vocals (2007–2014)
 * Jake Jones – rhythm guitar (2011–2014)
 * Nick Rossi – drums (2014–2015)
 * Tyler Burgess – rhythm guitar (2014), bass, backing vocals (2014–2015)
 * Chris Khaos – bass (2015)
 * Joshua Ingram – drums (2016–2018)
 * Frankie Sil – bass (2016–2021)
 * Zac Morris − drums (2018)
 * Max Georgiev − lead guitar (2018)
 * Brian Sumwalt − drums (2018)
 * James Renshaw − drums (2018−2019)
 * Austin Ingerman − lead guitar (2018−2022), bass (2021–2022)
 * Trixx Daniel – drums (2015–2016, 2023)

Timeline