Over a decade vanished between Last Relapse’s final show and their unexpected return. While most bands fade quietly into memory, this Atlanta outfit chose a different path—they let time work its strange alchemy on unfinished material collecting dust in digital archives.
Drummer Justin Canada and his bandmates lived entirely separate existences during those thirteen years away from the stage. The rhythms that once drove packed Southeast venues fell silent as real life demanded attention. Careers evolved. Geography scattered them across state lines. Families took root. But certain grooves refuse to disappear completely.
Now the band has emerged with their self-titled EP, transforming skeletal recordings and half-realized ideas into something unexpectedly vital. They didn’t just dust off old demos—they discovered how distance can sharpen perspective, how unfinished business can haunt you into action, and why some musical conversations demand completion no matter how many years interrupt them.
What follows pulls back the curtain on Last Relapse’s remarkable second act—a story about creative resurrection, the weight of ghost tracks, and finding your way back to something you thought you’d lost forever.
Listen in here:
How does it feel to be back together after more than a decade away from the band? It’s an amazing feeling to get everyone back together. I miss these guys. While we stayed in touch, I was traveling for years so it made it hard to see everyone.
When you first started rehearsing again, was there a moment that made you realize you had something special left to give? I realized the dream of it all never died, it was always alive.
Each of you went down very different paths during the hiatus. How did those experiences outside of music filter back into your sound now? I’ve expanded my horizon from just the metal / metalcore scene. I started exploring more towards the indie rock scene which is ironic playing in an indie rock band.
Machine became a kind of cult favorite for fans who discovered it after the fact. How do you look back on that album today? The album “Machine” was the moment David and I found our sound together. It helped shape the path of the band as a whole and how we would write and give the rest of the album life.
Atlanta’s indie rock scene has always had its own grit and personality. How did that city shape your identity then, and does it still play a role now? Atlanta’s music scene has been so vast. Being in Atlanta gave us the ability to make what we wanted and how we wanted it to sound without having to conform to the current trend.
The new EP is only five songs, but you’ve called it tighter and more immersive. What can you share about the atmosphere and themes that run through it? I think the new EP shows atmosphere of growth and change. While everything is still relevant, a revamp a few years down the road from conception gives it the room the EP needed to really expand itself into what it is.
Your live shows once had the reputation of feeling like performance art. Do you approach that side of the band differently now that you’re older and maybe carrying different responsibilities? I always loved that what we played on the albums or EP was the same as our shows. We never once wrote something that wasn’t going to be replicated in some way. Now years later I think that is more important than ever in the day and age of computers and programmed music.
Reunion stories can sometimes lean into nostalgia. For you, it feels more like an unfinished journey. Why is continuing what you started so important? For me personally, I had to quickly grow up. I made choices in life that I was not necessarily ready for or the responsibility that came with them. I always felt I abruptly left without closure which I believe also now helps push me to want to continue this journey.
Who are you listening to right now that excites or inspires you as you work on the new material? The new sleep token album has inspired me. Not just as a drummer but as a whole. Their music is all over the place bringing me hope that with our unique sound, it will be more accepted than in the 2010 era of music.
If you could give advice to your younger selves, back when Last Relapse was playing 200 shows in a few short years, what would you say? Don’t lose sight. While I do not regret any of my choices, I wish I would have focused more on the band. We had something incredible, something real. Playing shows or just jamming out with the guys was more of a release than I ever understood. Live more in the moment. The rest will come.