Song premiere: AFI’s ‘The Embrace’

The anthemically bleak post-hard-core quartet AFI has been experimenting with electronic productions for a decade now. But for “The Embrace,” a new song off its much-anticipated album “Burials,” the band dives even deeper into digital noise to accent its punky rush.

We’ll have a thorough profile of the Ukiah, Calif.-reared band in Sunday’s Calendar. But for now, this premiere of “The Embrace” shows that “Burials” is full of new riffs on old AFI moods. (Listen below.)

The song starts with pinging U2-style guitars and downtrodden drum machines, all laced with creepy pianos and an exotically inventive vocal melody from singer Davey Havok.

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But by the chorus, the band is back in throat-ripping battle-call mode, tempered with gentler harmonies and stutter-step percussion.

AFI’s at an interesting position in the modern music landscape. The band has a devoted fan base and an ear for invention, but knows the commercial landscape for modern rock is far different from 2003, when AFI made its mainstream breakthrough.

“The Embrace” splits the difference between AFI’s classic sounds and contemporary flourishes -- and it’s a must-listen for fans looking to see where the group is going next.

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