With tremendous self-created pressure, he threw himself into pushing the sonic boundaries of the band and maturing their sound, incorporating elements of math-rock, indie-pop and theatrical pomp.

[11][12] When the band began touring in support of ...Is a Real Boy, they picked up Dan DeLauro, Casper Adams, and Kevin Seaton.

When asked why he signed with a major label, Bemis stated, "We were looking to expand our fan base as well as have more money to tour comfortably.

This incident forced Say Anything to cancel another tour, this time with Bemis' personal idols Saves the Day, along with Senses Fail and The Early November.

Parker Case completed the sextet when he joined to play guitar and keyboard after his previous band JamisonParker broke up.

Also in that month, the band announced a co-headlining tour with Saves the Day and The Almost, John Ralston, The Dear Hunter, and Manchester Orchestra as openers on select dates.

"[29] Andy Jackson, a former member of the band and close friend of Bemis, along with Liam Ortmeier was responsible for recording many of the cameo appearances.

"Hate Everyone" was officially released on August 25, 2009,[48] after WBRU FM in Providence, RI became the first radio station to debut the single on the 17th.

On September 29, 2010, it was announced via Say Anything's official website that Alex Kent would be leaving the band, and that Kenny Vasoli of The Starting Line would be temporarily taking over as bassist for their upcoming tour.

After recording In Defense of the Genre, Say Anything band members Max Bemis and Coby Linder worked with Saves the Day's Chris Conley and David Soloway on a side project named Two Tongues.

[53][54] Say Anything band members Jake and Jeff Turner self-released their six-track EP Some Day in February 2009 under the name XO.

In 2009, Max and his wife, Sherri DuPree (From the band Eisley) formed a small side project named "Perma" and were selling the demo during the 2009 tour.

Additionally, Bemis stated Equal Vision had acquired the rights to Say Anything's past releases, as he cited the proposed re-release of Baseball.

[58] On November 9, 2012, Equal Vision announced a statement that confirms the release of the re-release of the Say Anything record Baseball, the Menora/Mejora EP, the "Dormroom Demos", Junior Varsity, and other various rarities in a triple-CD box set that are limited to 5000 physical copies.

It returned to the collaborative nature of the band's earlier material, with guest vocals including Jon Simmons of Balance and Composure, Tom Delonge of Blink 182 and Angels and Airwaves, Andy Hull of Manchester Orchestra, Brian Sella of The Front Bottoms and Jeremy Bolm of Touche Amore.

[62] The album was co-produced by Bemis and Darren King of Mutemath, who also played drums and percussion, as well as Liam Ortmeier, who briefly appeared in previous works on guitar.

The record was mixed by Will Yip and featured contributions by members of The Hotelier, Tiny Moving Parts, Eisley, Japanese Breakfast and others.

The band announced their signing to Dine Alone Records at South by Southwest 2018 and revealed the existence of a forthcoming LP produced by Will Yip.

On August 16, 2018, Bemis released a nine-page letter to fans detailing the band's forthcoming record, his future plans for Say Anything, and struggles with his own sexuality and drug use.

The album is a purported sequel to ...Is a Real Boy, featuring an adult version of the narrator fictionalized on that record who struggles with his own sexuality, leading to a violent conclusion.

In April 2023, Bemis posted a press release via the website Chorus.FM, detailing a reunion and new music, as well as announcing an all-new line-up consisting of himself, Case, Kent, co-founder Coby Linder (who previously left in 2012), and the addition of Fred Mascherino (Taking Back Sunday, The Color Fred) and Brian Warren (Weatherbox).

[64][65] Throughout the year, the band played on various dates at venues including the Bowery Ballroom in New York City, the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Denver (opening for the Front Bottoms), and the Regent Theatre in Los Angeles.

[66] On March 21, 2024, the band announced via Instagram that their ninth studio album, titled "...Is Committed", would be released digitally on May 24 through Dine Alone Records.

[70] The band, as well as certain artists within the indie/punk scene such as Cursive, MewithoutYou, Brand New, Bright Eyes and Manchester Orchestra tend to straddle the line between older fans and a youth oriented audience.

"[71] However, due to Bemis' bipolar disorder and his resulting mentality, the themes of the songs are often surreal, bleak, irreverent, personal, and autobiographical.

"Alive with the Glory of Love," Say Anything's first single, has a main subject of a relationship affected by World War II and the Holocaust, based on Bemis's grandparents, while "Wow, I Can Get Sexual Too" includes mentions of "the old shul" and a rabbi's teachings.

Other influences at some point cited by the band include Botch, Weezer, The Stooges, Neutral Milk Hotel, Sunny Day Real Estate, Wilco, and the Foo Fighters.

song was taken), The Four Tops ("Sure, Baby...Hold Back" features a chorus lifted from "Sugar Pie Honey Bunch"), Safety in Numbers ("Dealer"), Saves the Day ("Jessie and My Whetstone"), and Bob Dylan ("The Man in Me").

Beginning on the "All My Friends Are Enemies – Rarities Tour," Bemis added drummer Reed Murray, and bassist Garron DuPree.

In summer of 2014 on the Hebrews tour, Bemis recruited ex-Taking Back Sunday member Fred Mascherino, Moneen guitarist Kenny Bridges, and Moving Mountains vocalist Greg Dunn to replace Jake and Jeff Turner and Parker Case, who were at the time performing with their band XO.