A Place to Bury Strangers: An Interview with a Band Restless in Their Pursuit of Sound

Brooklyn’s A Place To Bury Strangers doesn’t just turn up the volume. They obliterate the decibel scale. Over two relentless decades, they’ve never once flirted with moderation. If you’re familiar with frontman Oliver Ackerman’s pedal company, Death by Audio, the band’s ethos clicks into focus. This isn’t music designed to politely slip past you. It’s engineered to confront, to overwhelm, to challenge.

Ackerman's obsession with sound—jagged, frenetic, often abrasive—drives the band. When we spoke, he described feeding off that raw energy, always chasing the next visceral noise to fuel his creative fire. There’s a kind of fervor in how he talked about it, as if finding the next sonic explosion was a personal mission. But if you’re looking for a direct quote, you’re out of luck. In true APTBS fashion, the audio file from our interview self-destructed, corrupted beyond salvage. A glitch that, oddly enough, feels like the most fitting tribute to an artist who thrives in the chaos of sound, whose pedal company is literally called Death by Audio.

A Place To Bury Strangers have seen it all, touring the world countless times over. Not every band can claim two decades of making music, but for frontman Oliver Ackerman, the constant travel has become second nature. When we spoke, they were in London, casually digging through record shops and unwinding. Ackerman talked about how much he enjoys traveling—it’s a way to see something new, to keep the spark alive. It was refreshing, almost surprising, to hear someone who’s been on the road for as long as he can remember still finding joy in the grind.

That same restless curiosity runs through everything APTBS does. Take Disgust from their latest album Synthetizer. Ackerman decided to up the ante by playing the entire song with one hand because why not? This kind of “what if?” mindset is what sets the band apart. Ackerman’s brain thrives on novelty, always chasing something different. And speaking of novelty, the vinyl edition of Synthetizer doesn’t just contain music but it comes embedded with a circuit board, so the album cover can be played as a synthesizer. They manage to inject genuine excitement into a music world that often feels like it’s stuck on autopilot. Everything, from marketing to press cycles, vinyl releases, and even shipping, seems to follow a formula. APTBS breaks that mold with every step, reminding us that unpredictability is still a currency worth having.

Their new album Synthetiser delivers everything you’d expect from an APTBS release: loudness, of course, but also a dreamy, atmospheric quality that envelops you. Tracks like "You Got Me" evoke the sonic equivalent of a late-night drive, where streetlights blur into a shared silence, creating an immersive mood. The band has always excelled at crafting a cinematic experience, so I was surprised to find that Oliver wasn’t offended when I confessed I can only truly absorb their music at night. Listening to it during the day feels like an incomplete puzzle, as if their sound were designed specifically for the dark. It turns out he shares that sentiment, believing that not every album can resonate at any hour.

The album feels more personal, even as it carries the essence of APTBS. Synthetizer marks A Place to Bury Strangers’ third project in their current lineup, featuring John Fedowitz and Sandra Fedowitz on bass and drums. This time, they’re more in sync, giving each other the freedom to “mess up” and make “errors” in pursuit of something more human. Oliver Ackerman embodies an old-school ethos, valuing the tangible human touch and connection in the music-making process. He strives to infuse humanity into every aspect, even allowing the vinyl album to double as an instrument. And who could argue with that? It’s bands like APTBS that forge meaningful connections with their audience, creating a bond that transcends mere listening.

At the end of the day, Oliver Ackerman is still that kid in the passenger seat, soaking in the full blast of punk music with his brother. It’s a memory he holds dear, one that keeps the flame of possibility alive, reminding him that music can transcend mere sound. When I ask if he still feels that spark and whether he connects with today’s bands, his response is a spirited "Yes!" His devotion to music feels almost sacred, infused with a confidence that sets him apart in an industry often mired in conformity. When I ask what he’s learned in his two decades of making noise, he points to the simple yet profound truth of doing what you love. Their established presence in the scene affords them the freedom to create authentically, a luxury he cherishes deeply. I can’t wait to see what APTBS dreams up next. Whether it’s another groundbreaking synth-laden vinyl or something completely out of left field, I have no doubt it will be something utterly unexpected and unimitable, just as you’d expect from A Place to Bury Strangers.