Phantoms/Twenty

News updates for 'Phantoms/Twenty' by Acceptance

Acceptance Release Phantoms/Twenty, a re-recorded version of their emo cult-classic album Phantoms to celebrate it's 20th anniversary

Seattle rock band Acceptance has released a reimagined version of their 2005 emo cult-classic major label debut LP Phantoms, appropriately titled Phantoms/Twenty, (Equal Vision Records)to celebrate its 20th anniversary, and featuring collaborations with various artists such as Stephen Christian (Anberlin), Alex Gaskarth (All Time Low), John O’Callaghan (The Maine) Derek DisCanio (State Champs) and many others from the scene. The album pays homage to the band's legacy with each guest injecting their unique touch into these mid 2000s emo/alt rock classics, creating a sense of gratitude and reverence towards Acceptance for their influential music and this amazing album that inspired these artists. Phantoms never truly got the credit that it deserved, an album full of big clean melodies and monster hooks, an album that still holds up today's musical landscape. The band's choice to involve these guest artists adds a fresh perspective to the album, capturing the essence of the original tracks in a new light and with a new found energy. Full press release can be found below and the album is available for order from the purchase link and on all digital streaming platforms.

September 12, 2025

New York, NY (September 12, 2025) – To celebrate its 20th anniversary, the pop-punk outfit, Acceptance, has released the reimagined version of their quintessential album, Phantoms, called Phantoms/Twenty, recorded by original producer, Aaron Sprinkle, amid the band’s reunion and milestone anniversary, out today, via Equal Vision Records. And while the band did redo their parts, this isn’t just any standard re-recording.

To give new context to its profound and lasting legacy, Acceptance enlisted a wide range of artists across various genres, many of whom were inspired by the band including Stephen Christian of Anberlin, Memphis May Fire’s Matty Mullins, Boys Like Girls frontman Martin Johnson, The Maine’s John O’Callaghan, Jenna McDougall from Tonight Alive and Hevenshe, All Time Low’s Alex Gaskarth, State Champs vocalist Derek DiScanio, Teddy Swims who has publicly shared that the band inspired him and admitted the first song he learned how to play on guitar was an Acceptance track, and more.All of the guests on the record inject a sense of reverence and gratitude into the songs, as if by being on them is their way of saying thank you to the band for making this album all those years ago. Acceptance also asked each person who contributed to write a little blurb about why they wanted to take part, something that, for the band, was almost as meaningful as their guest spots.

"I graduated high school, Class of 2004, in a fever dream of guitar chords and burned CDs—when Phantoms was gospel and “Take Cover” was the song we howled at underage house parties, banging on beat-up acoustics during that final summer of childhood before the real world was supposed to start. Navigating restless tides in a sea of indie-label-cred-focused bands was Acceptance, touting clean hooks and songs in major keys on a debut album released on Columbia proper. A key influence, their sound carved out a path we prayed we might walk down eventually.” Martin Johnson shares, and continues, “I remember blasting the album front to back, cooking down 495 from Andover to band practice in Taunton with the windows down and dreams bigger than our hometowns. We all crowded on the stage at the old Avalon Club in Boston, watching and taking notes when the Truck Stops and State Lines Tour came through town in 2005—one class of releases before our debut. It was electric. It was sacred. That night lit a fuse. I still believe that when Boys Like Girls signed to Columbia ourselves, it was because Acceptance lived there first. Now, here we are, twenty years later. To be given the opportunity to record a piece of this song and join hands for this reawakening is not just an honor—it’s a full-circle miracle of an encore I never expected to be a part of.”

Acceptance adds “Martin was one of the first artists we thought of when we originally started on this journey. Boys Like Girls were label mates with Acceptance at Columbia Records and we always felt there was a strong musical connection. Take Cover, a song that was originally written to capture the raw emotion of being young and navigating love and betrayal, seemed like a perfect match for Martin's signature vocal style. He has such a charismatic presence, which really shows in his interpretation of the song. Martin took it, ran with it and the collaboration turned out better than we could have imagined. We couldn't think of a more fitting way to kick off Phantoms/Twenty.”

Acceptance shares "At its core, “Different” is a song of desperation. A lost or losing love, the feeling of what was as it’s slipping away and the things you’d do to reclaim and restore it – this was the story we wanted to tell in this song. When we reached out to Alex Gaskarth about the idea of collaborating on Phantoms/Twenty, he gravitated to Different immediately. You can feel the connection Alex has to the song, through his standout vocal performance. Capturing the overwhelming sense of self-defeat, awareness, questioning, and ultimately a naive hope in the performance. We’ve always felt that the beauty of this song was found in its ability to be humanly haunting. In the end, with this version of “Different”, we feel like we finally achieved the vision we had for the song 20 years past."

RIYL: Anberlin, The Academy Is, Something Corporate, The Maine, Mae, The Early November