”Warn your warmth to turn away / Here it’s December, every day”. These haunting lyrics from the second single (“Love Like Winter”) from the seventh studio album from AFI still resonate to this day. DECEMBERUNDERGROUND was released in the early summer of 2006 and came off of the band’s mainstream breakthrough success of Sing The Sorrow. The LP found the band once again working with producer Jerry Finn and solidified AFI as a marquee act in the rock scene. DECEMBERUNDERGROUND features more of an EDM, gothic rock, and synthwave type of sound to it throughout, with heavy electronic elements found in several instances on the album. AFI invited listeners into the world of their new album with lead single, “Miss Murder”, that featured a stomping bass line, heavy guitars, and a great vocal performance from Davey Havok to set the song apart from what was on the radio at that time. What stood out to me the most on DECEMBERUNDERGROUND was AFI’s ability to continue to reinvent themselves while still staying true to the sound that The Despair Faction faithful would approve of. A bit of a bold choice to release a winter-themed record in the heart of summer, AFI proved that they didn’t need to conform to industry norms in order to make an impact that connected with audiences far and wide.