As It Is Ruins Our Lives with "Ruin My Life"

After a brief hiatus and an epic tenth anniversary album release for their debut full length, Trans-Atlantic pop-punk band As It is stepped into their new era-- an era of healing. Some may call it their "dad rock" era. This past Fall the four-piece released a single that took a year in the making, "Lose Yourself & Find Your Way." For the remainder of 2025 fans had speculated on what As It Is have planned for their anticipated fifth studio album. Ben Biss, guitarist and social media menace, teased on the band Twitter, "What if I told you there's a new As It Is song coming in the first week of 2026? What if I told you it's gonna ruin your life?" A while later he once again hit Twitter, posting "We welcome your predictions" and a notes app screenshot reading "2026 Predictions. I'm gonna ruin my life. The boys have had too much to drink again."

With all the teasers and promo content I still had no idea what to expect. Sure. the Johnny Knoxville and Steve-O vibes were strong, yet this band had a history of sneaking the element of surprise while spoon-feeding fans the content they craved. After much anticipation and excitement from the band's fanbase, As It Is released their single "Ruin My Life" featuring Murray Macleod from The Xcerts. Along with this single drop came a vertical music video and the announcement everyone had been waiting for-- As It Is' fifth studio album, set to release July 17, 2026. Not only is this the first post-hiatus album from the band, but it's their self-titled album. You only get one self-titled album (unless you are Weezer), and the band claims "This is As It Is at their happiest, at their most creative and their best.

The music video begins with vocalist, Patty Walters, sitting alone at a bar surrounded by what appears to be empty beer bottles. A unique choice, seeing how Patty is notoriously straightedge. He begins singing, "It's Friday night and closing time in Texas. The boys have had too much to drink again. I'm alone surrounded by sensation of what I'd give to feel it one more time." Patty lifts his drink, as if he he is about to take a sip, then twists the bottle right as the chorus is about to drop; showing the beer he is drinking is indeed zero proof. A niche reference to the Okay era when people were quick to comment about Patty "breaking edge" in promo photos despite the obvious fact his choice beverage was non-alcoholic. A fun moment taking back power from people who criticize on social media every minute action the band made. Quickly, the chorus brings us into a montage of tour stunts themed around the original Jackass movie. Each stunt was named with the slap-stick comedic series in mind. From the album art's shopping spree stunt to riding a skateboard through Brighton dressed as a Banana, eating "very very spicy tofu," and pulling a Weekend at Bernie's with Murray Macleod; band members take turns causing chaos and "ruining their lives" for the camera.

The chorus is catchy and mesmerizing; a tune I often find myself humming or singing while out in public. The verses have a similarly catchy melody while the lyrics ever so perfectly scratch the nostalgia itch with callbacks to previous tour chaos, such as Jayden Seeley from the band With Confidence breaking the nose of As It Is bassist, Alistair Testo. In a world that effortlessly craves nostalgia, most recently with the internet favorably looking back at the year 2016, As It Is sells nostalgia with the reminder that our best years may not actually be fully behind us. I am reminded of a vlog Patty Walter's posted on YouTube in 2014 where he states, "I urge you to treasure your naivety and your stupidity, and truly live before you die." This is an internal battle I constantly struggle with. Recently, I have started to let go of guilt and truly "live before I die." A good friend who recently passed away had a similar mantra; "Life is to be lived and love is to be received and given." Not only does "Ruin My Life" explain the band at it's core, but the track captures the essence of that mantra, encouraging people that treasuring naivety and living life at it's fullest is truly the way to go. "Ruin My Life" featuring Murray Macleod of The Xcerts is now available on all streaming platforms.