The World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die


The World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die is an American indie band formed in Willimantic, Connecticut, in 2009. They released their debut album Whenever, If Ever in 2013 to generally positive reviews, followed by Harmlessness in 2015 and Always Foreign in 2017. They have also released a number of EPs and splits, including a collaboration with spoken word artist Christopher Zizzamia, entitled Between Bodies, in late 2014. According to their Facebook page, their "lineup is constantly expanding and contracting. Recording and live performance lineups vary." Bassist Josh Cyr is the sole founding member of the group.
The band's style has been variously associated with emo, indie rock, post-rock, and post-hardcore. AllMusic described it as "atmospheric emo/indie". Their influences include Battles, Caspian, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, and Explosions in the Sky.

History

Early history & initial releases (2009-2012)

The band was formed in 2009 in Willimantic, Connecticut by Tyler Bussey, Nicole Shanholtzer, Thomas Diaz, and Josh Cyr, who remains the sole founding member. In the next two years, they released one Demo, Demo 2010, two extended plays, Formlessness, and Josh is Dead, a split with Deer Leap, Are Here To Help You, and one single, Gig Life. Although going through several lineup changes within these years after their initial formation, in 2012 they settled upon a core revolving around Nicole Shanholtzer, Josh Cyr, Steven Buttery, Chris Teti, David Bello, and Katie Dvorak, all of whom would play on their debut album, Whenever, If Ever, and subsequent follow ups.

Debut album & further EPs (2013-2014)

On June 18th, 2013, through Topshelf Records, the band released their debut full-length LP, Whenever, If Ever. Upon release, it received generally positive reviews, and was considered a landmark album in the then infant Emo revival movement. The album charted at #3 on the Billboard Vinyl charts, due to strong word-of-mouth as the band had virtually no press leading up to the release. In 2014, the band released two more extended plays, Between Bodies, and The Distance, as well as their first live album, recorded with Audiotree, Audiotree Live 3.1.2014.

''Harmlessness'' (2015)

In August of 2015, the band released January 10, 2014, a single from their upcoming record, as well as an accompanying music video. One month later, in September, the band would release their sophomore record, Harmlessness, to critical acclaim. It subsequently charted at number 11 on the Heatseekers Albums chart, and at number 46 on the Independent Albums chart.
In November 2016, the band released a single "Body Without Organs", with proceeds going to the ACLU.

''Always Foreign'' and death of Tom Diaz (2017-present)

On August 1, 2017, the band announced their third album, Always Foreign, releasing a single "Dillon and Her Son" alongside it. David Bello said, concerning the writing and production of the record: “When we started writing we were fresh off Trump being elected, so there’s an anger to the album that’s different from what we’ve done in the past. There’s a lot more resistance thinking throughout the songs - not in a way that’s strictly anti-Trump, but also addressing things like white supremacy and controlling elements of the state.” The album was released September 29, 2017, to positive reviews.
Founding member Tom Diaz died unexpectedly on November 1, 2018 at the age of 32. On November 3, 2018, the band confirmed his death on their social media accounts.

Members

Current
Former
Studio musicians

Discography

Albums
Extended plays
Compilations
Splits
Live albums
Demos
Singles
Appearances on compilation albums