On this, their thrilling eighth studio album, Taking Back Sunday, dial back the Emo to launch into huge, open rock landscapes. Having made music together as a band for over twenty years and sold millions of albums along the way, there’s an unrelenting pursuit of greatness and a desire to be the biggest and the best around. That pursuit is dripping through the record.
Written and refined over several years, the group’s first full-length recording since 2016’s Tidal Wave is a passionate and honest record that might challenge their fiercely loyal fan base. 152 has been synonymous with Taking Back Sunday since their inception. It is a section of road in North Carolina where the band would meet as teenagers to see shows. The numbers have appeared in some form on their album covers. It matters.
As one of the leaders of the post-hardcore/alternative/emo genre, what the foursome presents us on 152 may surprise many. It is a modern, radio-friendly record. One that could easily be compared to bands like Twenty One Pilots and Bastille.
The most significant influence, however, appears to be U2. This album could easily be Bono and Co’s record; in an alternative universe, it most likely is. For example, those musical landscapes on ‘Lightbringer’ are huge waves of emotion and energy that could be easily wrapped around The Edge.
‘Amphetamine Smiles’ opens the album with a swaying, arms waving and lighters in the air chorus that seems at odds with what’s come before from Taking Back Sunday. There’s a Coldplay-like catchy bridge that serves as a solid opening salvo for the album.
‘S’old’ demonstrates the true strength of lead singer Adam Lazzara’s vocals. Long gone are the screamo days now. Lazzara sings with power and determination. His voice drives the song alongside some incredible drumming and even a hint of synths to pull it along.
The standout song ‘The One’ will be the track that may divide the fans the most. Go big or go home is one of the lyrics, and go big, they do in a huge way. It doesn’t push any boundaries, but it sounds like The Killers and U2 have had offspring.
With vocals shared between Adam Lazzara and lead guitarist John Nolan, ‘The One’, it does suggest a nod to the past, but for those fans who were hoping for a return to Where You Want To Be era of Taking Back Sunday, it might be a disappointment. However, if you love The Gaslight Anthem, you’ll love it.
Another song that the hardcore fans might take some convincing to take to their hearts is ‘I Am The Only One Who Knows You’, a song that is a full-on rock ballad. I can’t quite pin the song down. I’ve mentioned U2, Coldplay and The Killers before, which could be influences. But so could The Weeknd and plenty of other pop acts. I’d love to be a fly on the wall when fans first hear this song. It’s very pretty and would grace the stadium stages, but different from what we’d expected.
‘Quit Trying’ has a heavier sound, even a hint of gospel flowing through the chorus; it is a slightly leaner Bring Me The Horizon. The song discusses looking back on your life and realising that the mistakes you make can sometimes make you who you are and that change can come naturally if you let it. It’s heartfelt and brilliant.
‘The Stronger’ closes the record with an emotionally pure and passionate statement of love and strength. At one stage, you’re expecting the song to take flight, and it almost does before crashing down and breaking before a close.
152 is a self-assured, driven and gripping record that stands out in Taking Back Sunday’s catalogue as the most mature and compelling album to date. It may divide fan opinions, but surely that’s a good thing. We all need to be challenged musically occasionally, and with this collection of songs, that’s precisely what you get. It’s radio-friendly 00s rock. What’s so wrong with that?
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