Former AS I LAY DYING guitarist Nick Hipa has launched a new band called MIRE featuring guitarist Ryan Glisan and vocalist Benton McKibbern. You can check out their first single “Refined” below.
Hipa commented: “Very stoked to share some new music from my band Mire. Ryan, Benton, and I started this journey together in 2017, with the simple desire to create stylistically unrestrained music based on mutual admiration for riff based songwriting.
Our first single ‘Refined‘ is out now. It’s a decently pummeling tune that represents just one facet of what we’ve created together. I really hope you dig it, and look forward to sharing more tunes in the near future.”
Hipa confirmed his exit from AS I LAY DYING over a month ago, explaining that he can no longer justify being part of “a superficial pursuit” of the “story and meaning” that the band’s 2018 reunion was built upon.
Although Hipa’s exit was originally rumored in August 2020, neither he nor his bandmates had publicly spoken out about the split until he took to his Instagram on August 31 to write: “At this point though, it has been well over a year since I have distanced myself from [AS I LAY DYING] on a personal and professional level. In that time they have only given fans merchandising posts and show announcements. This sort of activity highlights and reinforces our differences.
“Respectfully, I left because the story and meaning we built our reunion upon decayed considerably over time. What primarily endures is a superficial pursuit I cannot justify supporting or being part of. This is not an indictment on any who choose to remain or be involved. There is tremendous good that can be accomplished through singular focus on the power of music. However to my memory and recent experience, it comes at the cost of tolerating behavior which at times mistreats, disrespects, and hurts other people. I do not have it in me to walk that road again.
“The talent and unshakeable ambition of the band is undeniable. They will continue to release successful music and do great business. On a human level, I hope everything else fares well for them.”