Anthony Green’s voice is a polarizing thing. For some, it’s a piercing, ethereal force that defined an entire era of post-hardcore; for others, it’s just a bit too much. But in 2007, when On Letting Go hit the shelves, the debate kind of stopped mattering. The music was too good. It was the sophomore slump that never happened. In fact, it was the moment Circa Survive proved that Juturna wasn't a fluke.
It’s a weird record. Honestly. It’s full of these shimmering, interlocking guitar lines from Brendan Ekstrom and Colin Frangicetto that feel like they're weaving a spiderweb around your head. If you were hanging out in the Alternative Press forums or scrolling through Myspace back then, this album was inescapable. It wasn't just "emo" or "screamo." It was something more technical, more psychedelic, and way more confident than its predecessor.
The Esao Andrews Factor: Why the Cover Is Just as Important
You can’t talk about On Letting Go without talking about the art. Seriously. Esao Andrews is basically the unofficial sixth member of Circa Survive. That painting—the hot air balloon with the giant, floating lightbulbs and the strange, whimsical characters—set the tone before you even pressed play.
It told you that this wasn't going to be a standard four-chord pop-punk record. It promised a world that was slightly off-kilter. When the needle drops (or the MP3 starts, let's be real about 2007), that visual identity carries over into the sonic landscape. The production by Brian McTernan at Salad Days Studios gave the band a crispness they lacked on their debut. Everything felt wider. Massive.
Breaking Down the Sound of On Letting Go
The opening track, "Living Together," starts with that frantic, palm-muted riff. It’s a nervous energy. Then Anthony screams, and you’re in it. One of the most interesting things about this album is how it handles space. A lot of bands in the mid-2000s scene wanted to fill every second with noise. Circa Survive did the opposite. They let things breathe.
Take a song like "The Difference Between Medicine and Poison is in the Dose." It’s probably their most famous track for a reason. The title itself is a nod to Paracelsus, the father of toxicology. It’s smart. The way the bass guitar from Nick Beard anchors those floating melodies is a masterclass in rhythm section dynamics. Steve Clifford’s drumming isn't just keeping time; he’s playing textures.
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Then you have the deep cuts. "Mandala" is a rhythmic nightmare in the best way possible. It’s dizzying. It’s the kind of song that made suburban kids pick up guitars and realize they had no idea how to actually play them.
Why the Lyrics Hit Different
Anthony Green has always been cryptic. On On Letting Go, his lyrics moved away from the literal and toward the surreal. He was dealing with a lot—addiction, the pressure of sudden fame, the physical toll of touring. But he didn't write "I'm sad because of X." He wrote about "your weightless breath" and "the sound of glass breaking."
It invited the listener to project their own mess onto the music. That’s the secret sauce of longevity. If a song is too specific, it ages. If it’s an atmosphere, it lasts forever. People are still getting lyrics from "Your Friends Are Gone" tattooed on their ribs in 2026. That doesn't happen by accident.
The Technical Evolution
Musically, the jump from Juturna to On Letting Go was significant. On the first record, they were still figuring out how to be a band. By 2007, they were a machine. The dual-guitar interplay is really the star of the show here. Brendan and Colin aren't playing "lead" and "rhythm" in the traditional sense. They are playing counterpoints.
One guitar might be doing a delay-heavy ambient swell while the other is ripping a jagged, distorted lead. It creates this 3D effect. If you listen to "In the Morning and Amazing," the way the guitars panned left and right interact is almost hypnotic. It’s mathy, but it has soul. That’s a hard line to walk. Most "math rock" is cold. This album is bleeding.
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Critical Reception vs. Fan Reality
Back then, Pitchfork wasn't exactly kind to this scene. They gave the album a 5.9, which, in their language, meant "it’s fine but we’re too cool for it." But the fans didn't care. It debuted at number 24 on the Billboard 200. For an experimental post-hardcore band on an independent label (Equal Vision), that was huge.
Retrospectively, the critics have come around. You see On Letting Go cited now as a foundational text for the "progressive post-hardcore" movement. It paved the way for bands like Dance Gavin Dance or Hail the Sun to take those weird time signatures to the mainstream.
Common Misconceptions About the Recording Process
People often think this album was a breeze because the band was riding high. It wasn't. There was a ton of internal pressure. They had to follow up an indie darling record. There were rumors for years that the band was on the verge of a blowout during these sessions.
Actually, the tension helped. You can hear the friction in the tracks. "Semi-Constructive Criticism" feels like a band trying to tear itself apart and pull itself back together at the same time. It’s raw. Even the cleaner moments have a jagged edge.
Legacy and the 10-Year Anniversary
When the band did the 10-year anniversary tour back in 2017, the shows were selling out instantly. Why? Because On Letting Go represents a very specific time in the lives of Millennials and Gen Z-ers who grew up in the "alternative" scene. It’s nostalgic, sure, but the music actually holds up. It doesn't sound "dated" like a lot of the neon-pop-punk from that same era.
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It sounds like it could have been released yesterday. The production is timeless. The performances are peak.
How to Actually Appreciate This Album Today
If you're coming to this record for the first time—or the thousandth—don't just shuffle it on Spotify while you're doing dishes. It’s not background music.
- Get some decent headphones. The stereo imaging on this record is insane. There are little guitar flourishes buried in the mix that you simply won't hear on a phone speaker.
- Listen to it front to back. It was designed as a cohesive piece of art. The transition between "Carry Us Away" and "Close Your Eyes to See" is vital.
- Look at the lyrics while you listen. Even if they seem nonsensical at first, the cadence of the words matters.
- Watch live footage from 2007-2008. Seeing how they recreated these complex layers live is pretty mind-blowing. They didn't rely on backing tracks the way bands do now. It was all hands on strings.
Moving Forward With the Sound
If you’ve rinsed this album and need more, you’ve got options. Obviously, the rest of the Circa Survive catalog is there, but Blue Sky Noise is the logical next step if you want more polish. If you want more grit, go back to Juturna.
But honestly? Just sit with this one for a while. On Letting Go is about exactly what the title says. It’s about the release of control. It’s about the beauty in the breakdown. In a world where music is increasingly made by committees and algorithms, this record stands as a testament to what happens when five guys get in a room and decide to get weird.
It’s a masterpiece. No caveats needed.
To get the most out of your listening experience, track down the deluxe edition. It contains the original demos which are fascinating. Seeing "The Difference Between..." in its skeletal form makes you appreciate the final product ten times more. It shows the labor behind the "ethereal" sound. The work is what made it magic.