Wavves have scrapped their forthcoming collaborative album with Say Anything following allegations involving frontman Max Bemis, with Wavves frontman Nathan Williams saying he no longer wants to be associated with the musician.
The decision leaves Williams in a pretty tight spot. Although Cherry Soda was billed as a full collaboration between Wavves and Say Anything, Williams now says he spent 11 months making the record while Bemis spent just a few days in the studio. “I made it by myself,” Williams wrote in messages shared with fans on Patreon (via Paste). “It’s in all ways just a wavves record.”
“I don’t want to be associated with the guy so it’s as simple as that,” Williams added. He estimated that the decision could cost him around $200,000, adding that 10,000 vinyl copies of the album have already been pressed.
The fallout follows allegations from multiple young women who have shared screenshots of purported exchanges with Bemis on Say Anything’s subreddit. A 17-year-old fan said Bemis communicated with her for six months and knew she was underage — with their conversations eventually touching on sexual subjects. A separate account from a 19-year-old included screenshots showing Bemis discussing being single and his attraction to younger people after she raised concerns about their age difference. Bemis subsequently called off a run of solo shows, with Say Anything saying he was stepping away “due to the need to prioritize his mental health and personal well-being.” The statement did not address the allegations directly.
Williams has also suggested that Cherry Soda could potentially be salvaged in another form. Asked about removing Bemis’ contributions from the record, he said there had been conversations about doing so and claimed, “He barely wrote anything.” Such a move would delay the release, which had originally been scheduled for September 18th.
Wavves and Say Anything announced Cherry Soda in July. Produced by Aaron Rubin, the 10-track album was introduced with the single “Deathx1k,” followed by “Still Alive.” Bemis is credited as a songwriter on seven of the album’s 10 tracks.
