Photo credit: Izzy Lux
Against The Current formed in 2011 when vocalist Chrissy Costanza, guitarist Dan Gow and drummer Will Ferri were teenagers. Fifteen years later, on October 30, the New York trio returns with Till Death & Back, the first full-length album in eight years and the first as an independent band.
The same day, the band kicks off the Till Death & Back Tour in Glasgow, Scotland, the first of 17 dates across the UK and Europe. Earlier this week, I caught up with Chrissy over Zoom while the band was in rehearsals in London. Because I came into this interview new to Against The Current, I asked her to introduce me to the band as it stands in 2026.
Testing The Waters
When I asked what song most represents the band today, Chrissy pointed to “Dead Man Walking,” though she’s quick to add a second. “‘Dead Man Walking’ is the one that’s the standout to me, but then ‘White Noise,’ I feel like, is more of the average of the band’s total history, if you want to go back further.”
She noted the eight-year gap between full length albums was never the plan for the band. When the pandemic stalled their album sessions, the band released the EP Fever as the first half of something bigger. “The plan was to release a second part of that EP called Dream, so then the entire album would be Fever Dream,” Chrissy explained. Then the band left their label, and splitting one record across two owners didn’t sit right with her. “It didn’t make sense to me to release half a record that was on the label, and then half the record independently, and have to kind of fight for ownership and all of that.”
Fever stayed a standalone EP, and Chrissy is glad it did. She also says the band needed distance from 2018’s Past Lives. “It was so pop-focused, because that’s what our label told us we needed to be, and that wasn’t what we wanted to be,” she said. “We really just needed some breathing room to get away from that.”
The Undertow
Pointing a new fan to where they should get their feet wet, is one thing. I was curious as to what song means the most to Chrissy on Till Death & Back. She gave the disclaimer that “none of these songs feel throwaway or, like, a quote-unquote album track to me.” However, she acknowledged that “The Moth,” is a song about the band itself.
“This idea that you can’t really ever truly walk away from something that’s meant for you, or where you’re meant to be,” she said. “There’s been times where all three of us have tried to walk away at different times.” Chrissy reflected on the fact that they’ve been together as a band since they were 15 and now they are in their thirties.
That pull is the whole song. “I did a solo project at one point, but something always just draws me back in like a moth to a flame,” Chrissy said. “That song is just about this unconditional, undying love I have for Against The Current and my bandmates, and how, no matter what, I can never walk away too far.”
I sat with that one for a bit. A band named Against The Current, learning to trust the undertow.
Till Death & Back album artwork
Uncharted Waters
Most bands when touring on a new album might work two or three songs into the setlist. But this is the first album in nearly a decade, which makes for some interesting planning for tour. Chrissy estimates six or seven Till Death & Back songs will make the live set.
I pointed out that’s a lot of new material for a singer to get comfortable with. “I don’t get to fall back on that muscle memory,” she said. “It kind of feels like starting from square one and relearning how to sing all over again.”
The nerves come with plenty of excitement, though. “In writing them, I’m always imagining what live is going to feel like, so it’s very exciting to actually be at the live point, and not just imagining it in the studio.”
We also discussed the band’s decision to launch the album tour cycle overseas first. “Just from day one, something stuck here more than it did in the US in the beginning,” Chrissy said. “There is part of it that feels like our home tour to us.”
Making Waves
So what should a first-timer expect at a show? “High energy, we like to have fun,” Chrissy said “We want everyone to leave feeling sweaty and exhausted. I get on stage and stomp around like a tiny elephant, so I think it’s a good place to just let your walls down.”
As a photographer, I have noticed that sometimes those fans at the barricade sometimes show the least amount of energy compared to everyone else, so I asked whether that ever throws Chrissy off. “I just kind of harass everybody until they get moving,” she quipped. “You’re the example, you’re the ringleader. Everyone else is behind you, looking at you. My highest expectations are for you!”
She did add that she does gauge each crowd early since different places and cultures can have different temperaments. When a timid crowd finally gives themselves to the music, she says, “you can see it on their faces, that they’ve been given the permission to just let go.”
Teaching Others To Swim
As teenagers, Against The Current gained popularity posting covers on YouTube, long before TikTok and Reels became a channel to reach out to the world and get discovered. Looking back, Chrissy says the strategy was mostly instinct.
“We never tried that hard when we were in the YouTube era, is the ironic thing,” she said. They covered The 1975’s “Chocolate” before the song’s music video was even out, simply because they loved the song.
Chrissy’s advice for young bands comes straight from how Against The Current got its start. “Be true to yourselves. The world is big,” she said. “You get as weird as you fucking want, and there’s gonna be an audience for it.” She also passed along a tip from her drummer: before buying the best gear, max out what you already have, even if that’s GarageBand on your phone. “You could do a lot with a little.”
Before we switched topics, Chrissy gave some additional swimming lessons for new bands. She recommends trying every job at least once, from management to crew, so you appreciate the work. Also, ask the uncomfortable questions. “Talk to other artists, ask what their managers are doing, have uncomfortable conversations. Be like, what are you paying people?”
Too often, she says, the band accepted something because a manager or label person said that’s how it was done. “And then when we started asking around, it was like, oh shit, not everyone’s doing it like this. You learn by talking.”
Photo credit: Izzy Lux
Running The Rapids
Worst gear disaster? Dan once flew one of his guitars to a show and it arrived snapped in half. Another time, there was surprise pyro at a venue in Asia, where nobody warned the band about built-in effects. “I just felt a ton of heat on my face, and I was like, that’s really hot! Opened my eyes, and there was a flame.”
Who’s always late? “Could be me. Depends on the day,” Chrissy laughed. “Probably least often Dan.”
Pre-show soundtrack? Whoever controls the green room speaker decides, but Chrissy has a soft spot for divorced dad rock.
Dream covers for ATC? t.A.T.u.’s “All The Things She Said” was the first to come to mind. Followed by some of that divorced dad rock. “I’d love to cover ‘Rockstar.’ I just think Nickelback’s awesome!”
What’s on your current playlist? Chrissy said right now it’s lo-fi medieval music and the Elder Scrolls soundtrack, a phase she calls bardcore. I sat up in my chair, way too excited about my own baroque-core fixation, and sent her off with a recommendation for Igorrr, a French metal project with an absolutely insane live show.
