Serj Tankian released the solo single “AF Day,” a song he hoped to record with System of a Down during the band's early days. The song will appear on the singer's upcoming EP, Foundationsscheduled for this fall.
“This is a song I wrote in the early days of SOAD and never released,” Tankian said of the song. “Most of the instrumentation and vocals are recordings from that era. With dystopian humor, it is a reflection of the anguish and anti-authoritarian attitude that I had in the face of conformism.”
“AF Day” (short for “Another Fucking Day”) features Tankian in full scream mode during the chorus, and would fit right into System of a Down's catalog both musically and lyrically. The song includes lines like, “Why do religions demand blind, questioning servitude from their followers? / If your path is so straight, then why the use of forcing every attitude?”
An accompanying music video shows Tankian performing the song alongside members of his backing band, The FCC.
Earlier this week, Tankian released his memoirs, Down the system (order here). One of the book's revelations was that Tankian suggested to his System of a Down bandmates in 2017 that they replace him due to his desire not to tour anymore. The band ended up auditioning a new singer, but ultimately decided to continue with Tankian.
These days, System of a Down plays sporadic, one-off shows. They recently headlined the Sick New World festival in Las Vegas and are set to headline a massive show with Deftones at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco on August 17 (tickets available here).
Watch the video for Serj Tankian’s new solo song “AF Day” below.
Photo gallery: System of a Down and other acts at Sick New World Festival 2024 (click to enlarge and scroll):
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