A Day To Remember released What Separates Me from You in the UK on November 15, 2010, with the US release following the next day. Their fourth studio album put the band’s pop-punk hooks and hardcore aggression under a darker lyrical cloud. The touring life that had helped build their audience was also pulling them away from home, and that tension ran through the record.
The writing partnership had changed since Homesick. Kevin Skaff had replaced Tom Denney on guitar, making this his first A Day To Remember studio album, but Denney continued contributing behind the scenes. Singer Jeremy McKinnon and Skaff developed ideas together before taking them to the rest of the band. Producers Chad Gilbert and Andrew Wade also returned. A new guitarist had joined a working group that already understood how the band wanted to sound.
That process could transform a song several times. In a November 2010 interview with The Aquarian, Skaff described starting with acoustic guitars on the bus, building a structure and then letting the full band work on it. Pre-production brought Gilbert, Denney and Wade into the discussion before recording. “It actually changes about six or seven times before it gets on record,” he said. Much of the album was recorded at The Wade Studios in Ocala, Florida, with production credited to Gilbert, Wade and McKinnon.
The goal was to sharpen both sides of their music. Skaff described a heavier approach rooted more in hardcore, while the melodic material retained what the band liked about Homesick and pushed for more immediate hooks. He singled out opener “Sticks & Bricks” as a favorite. Placing that song first gave the album an aggressive entrance before the lead single, “All I Want,” arrived as track two.
McKinnon’s lyrics gave those different approaches a shared concern. Speaking to Beat in November 2010, he described the strain that constant travel had placed on relationships and family life. He had lost loved ones during the previous album cycle and found himself restless whether he was home or away. He called the subject the “fall out of being a workaholic.” Even the more melodic songs carried a seriousness he connected to those experiences.
“All I Want” approached that commitment from another direction. McKinnon told Music Connection that the band chose it as the first single because its energy, darker edge and pop appeal could connect with listeners across their audience. He described the song as being about choosing a life in music despite its uncertainty. Its official video included musicians who were friends from touring or artists the band admired, putting those relationships alongside a song about taking the chance in the first place.
The finished album contained ten tracks and ran roughly 33 minutes. Its US debut reached No. 11 on the Billboard 200, while it entered both the Top Hard Rock Albums and Independent Albums charts at No. 1.
