The latest book by Andi Coulter, called AFI, takes a comprehensive look at the meteoric rise of the legendary punk band AFI whom have been no strangers to reinvention throughout their storied musical career. While Coulter mentions in the Prelude that this book is “not an all-encompassing narrative” on the band, AFI still serves as a gripping tale of a band with a clear vision for their music, style, and ethos. From the early days of AFI finding their footing in the underground punk scene, to their breakthrough into the mainstream on Sing the Sorrow, everything flows with great pacing and intricate details that even the band’s most dedicated fans will devour. In an easily-digestable 130-plus page effort, Coulter does a fantastic job of getting to the core of what made AFI such a key major label “catch,” while offering clues as to why certain records didn’t resonate as firmly with their fans. It’s a book that you won’t be able to put down, and can easily swim through in one sitting.
The book is filled with so many deep dives into key details that will make even the most hardcore Despair Faction members shout, “Hey, I never knew that!” Coulter’s glimpse into the world of AFI lore is done affectionately, by interviewing key players in the scene who offer testimonials on what made the band so damn special, unique, and often imitated but never duplicated.
Coulter also explores the online culture of message boards on not only the Despair Faction site, but also the grip AFI had on the MySpace culture, MTV, and more. This book references recent work from authors Chris Payne (Where Are Your Boys Tonight?) and Dan Ozzi (Sellout), where Coulter ponders the latter’s book potentially not putting enough focus on the “sellout” label that was affixed to AFI throughout their reinvention and musical choices made along the way. All of these points are warranted, as AFI was a major player in the emo/punk scene boom of the early 00’s, and you can still feel their influence on many bands today.
While the last sections of the book take an ultra-brief look at the last three LPs in AFI’s discography, Coulter offers a clear path forward for where the band could take their sound next by providing clues towards where the band has traveled before. No one knows for sure what the next music will offer from AFI, but if history teaches us anything, it will be anything but boring. If anyone were to cover these next steps from AFI in an eloquent fashion, my money is firmly on Andi Coulter.