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Taking Back Sunday – 152

Discussion in 'Article Discussion' started by Melody Bot, Nov 2, 2023.

  1. Melody Bot Nov 2, 2023
    Melody Bot

    Your friendly little forum bot. Staff Member

    This article has been imported from chorus.fm for discussion. All of the forum rules still apply.

    There’s a lot to be said when a band takes a hiatus, re-shuffles their lineup, or just takes a breather to reset their focus on their music. 152 is the first album by Taking Back Sunday in seven years (with their last effort coming in 2016’s Tidal Wave), and arguably their best one yet. The album anniversaries of Tell All Your Friends and the upcoming 20-year mark of Where You Want To Be may have had a hand in TBS re-focusing their attention on their songwriting craft. There is also something to be said of the magic that happens when lead vocalist Adam Lazzara and guitarist John Nolan get in a room together to pen songs. 152 is a career-spanning love letter to the legacy Taking Back Sunday have built over their eight-album tenure, and they show no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

    The first track, “Amphetamine Smiles” sets the tone for 152 with a somber reflection on just how hard the past few years have been as Lazzara croons, “So you’re standing on the corner, you were waiting for me / It must’ve been past midnight / Started thinking to myself it’s been a bad couple years / Soon everything will be alright.” The quiet and heartfelt reflecting process is well-organized, and Nolan’s guitar playing is top tier on this song. “S’old” kicks the tempo up a few gears, and rocks along with veteran ease that revisits the glory days of the Warped Tour-era and the scene’s explosion. The music video was captured at a house party in Long Island, and reinvigorates the interest in Taking Back Sunday’s brand of rock.

    The vivid storytelling of “The One” finds the partnership between Nolan/Lazzara bearing major fruit, as the band quickly reminds fans why they stuck around for so long. The second verse of, “Now I’m close enough to reach you / All the walls that I could see through / Still the words that I can’t say go on and on and on / So now I’m giving you that little bit / Of time you said you needed then / Because you’re the one,” is just laser-focused songwriting at its best. “Keep Going” is an ode to staying the course of a long musical career, and features a great one-two punch between longtime drummer Mark O’Connell and bassist Shaun Cooper to keep the pulsating rhythm at an all-time high.

    The front half closes out with the ballad “I Am The Only One Who Knows You.” It’s a rich, contextual song that unfolds at just the right pacing. Lazzara explains on the chorus, “And I’m the only one who knows you / I’m the only one who knows / When there’s a feeling, there’s a promise, there’s an innocence gone / And it’s not coming back, so you keep moving on / And I’m the only one, only one who knows you,” as he makes that deep connection with the subject matter in the song.

    The back half never loses its early momentum gained with the moody and atmospheric vibes put out on “Quit Trying,” paired with the subsequent “Lightbringer,” that features somber verses that explode into a crowd-pleasing chorus. The self-conscious “New Music Friday” features some great lyrics of, “The best laid plans of rats and men / You know it’s never gonna end / Moving slow, stone cold hands / Dragging anchors through the sand / And I don’t know, I’ll see you there / Tell myself I don’t care / That’s a lie, I tell myself this all the time / I tell myself that I don’t mind.” It’s songs like these that make sticking by Taking Back Sunday so incredibly rewarding and worthwhile.

    ”Juice 2 Me” features a spiraling, spider-web esque guitar riff from John Nolan that sets the tone for the rest of the song, while album closer, “The Stranger” is a nice encapsulation of all the styles TBS went for on this record. I connected with the second verse of, “There you go again / Leaning on the fence / Why’s it always have to be this hard / Shouldn’t have to be this god damned hard,” since it reminded me of the tough days of early love and relationships that took a ton of effort, while Lazzara brings it home with, “‘Cause don’t you get lonely? / Like I know you get lonely? / Come on, act like you know me / Don’t you get lonely?”

    From not knowing when Taking Back Sunday would ever return after a seven-year mini-hiatus between albums, to delivering one of my favorite albums of this year, TBS have shown fans new and old that magic that happens when they bring their collective creative minds to good use to make art. 152’s legacy will likely be remembered as the record that set the band’s tone for their return to glory, and makes its own memorable statement in the band’s storied discography.

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    Crisp X and zeketheplmbr like this.
  2. zeketheplmbr Nov 2, 2023
    zeketheplmbr

    I'm de-de-decomposing. Supporter

    Nice one, Adam. This album is genuinely one of the biggest surprises of the year for me. Very happy to have this band back on top of their game. LI music scene coming back!
     
    Mr. Serotonin, TophTheOriginal, mit_backwards and 1 other person like this.
  3. paythetab Nov 2, 2023
    paythetab

    Chorus.FM Album Reviewer (Adam Grundy) Supporter

    Hell yeah, thanks for checking it out!
     
  4. mit_backwards Nov 2, 2023
    mit_backwards

    Regular

    When they dropped the first single, they had just come off that tour with Third Eye Blind i think. The song sounded way more pop rock to me than "typical" TBS and I liked it but thought to myself ok so they no longer sound like TBS. They're leaning toward that mainstream, 3EB crowd/sound. This foolishly lead me to believe that I wouldnt love the album, but man was I wrong. Definitely not that old sound, but damn is it good.
     
    paythetab likes this.
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  6. JustinB813 Nov 2, 2023
    JustinB813

    Newbie

    Great read, and incredible album.
     
    paythetab likes this.
  7. grimis16 Nov 2, 2023
    grimis16

    Regular

    I know it's only been a week since it was released, but I haven't listened to a TBS album this much since Where You Want To Be.
     
    parkerxcore, Dan O'Neill and paythetab like this.
  8. Former Planets Nov 2, 2023
    Former Planets

    Aaaachem!

    I’ve been spending more time with this than blink or gaslight combined
     
    JustinB813, Dan O'Neill, slimfenix182 and 3 others like this.
  9. RaginCajun Nov 2, 2023
    RaginCajun

    Better than you, sorry

    This album made me return to listening to Where You Want To Be, TAYF, plus My Blue Heaven. I appreciate them still making music but I have to question who even wrote those earlier songs.
     
    palebluedot, LightsOut and paythetab like this.
  10. additional_pylons Nov 2, 2023
    additional_pylons

    feeling not found. please contact support. Supporter

    Easily my favorite album of theirs since New Again.
     
    paythetab and disambigujason like this.
  11. Jason Tate Nov 2, 2023
    Jason Tate

    newsletter is back Staff Member

    Said it in the newsletter, but this album is so good. Blew me away they had this in them. Their best album in 20 years for sure.
     
    hongfong00, Mr. Serotonin, youll be fine and 9 others like this.
  12. Crisp X Nov 2, 2023
    Crisp X

    Don't stop looking at me Supporter

    Great review. I remain pleased with this return. They're really found their footing with this line up, and I'm optimistic for any future material.
     
  13. KennyBloggins Nov 2, 2023
    KennyBloggins

    Best albums released on earth in 2022 Supporter

    I really am enjoying this album but am wondering if anyone else is noticing something on repeated listens? I’m hearing lots of vocal “warbling” at times and I can’t tell if it’s intentional effects or auto tune? It started to distract me from the listening experience as of late, and maybe I’m just being an overly sensitive listener. I can fully appreciate if they are going for a certain sound with vocal effects, but at times it makes Adam sound a bit mechanical (which is sort of a contradiction with the usual TBS vibe). Someone help me out here!
     
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  15. realdeathwolf Nov 2, 2023
    realdeathwolf

    Newbie Supporter

    It’s so good that I still haven’t gotten around to listening to the new Gaslight Anthem record
     
    paythetab and WadeCastle like this.
  16. WadeCastle Nov 2, 2023
    WadeCastle

    Trusted

    same! just TBS & blink for me!
     
    blink180ryan and paythetab like this.
  17. Former Planets Nov 2, 2023
    Former Planets

    Aaaachem!

    Adam has been listening to at lot of Spanish Love Songs
     
    fredwordsmith likes this.
  18. LightsOut Nov 2, 2023
    LightsOut

    Regular

    Its doing nothing for me! Im feeling like a monster now…:(
     
    ben., SoCoWilderNeSs, palebluedot and 2 others like this.
  19. Punkrocker Nov 2, 2023
    Punkrocker

    Wiping brings down the rainforest

    I had basically written them off after giving them a try multiple times post Louder Now. This came out of left field for me once I heard the first single and I became very hopeful. Top down I really enjoyed this album.

    What a time to be alive for this resurgence of so many bands we've cherished for so many years. It's great to see so many firing on all cylinders and re-energized.
     
    theasteriskera, paythetab and parkerxcore like this.
  20. aoftbsten Nov 3, 2023
    aoftbsten

    Trusted Supporter

    I said it in the album thread, but I'll say it here too - Keep Going is such a great track from them. It manages to capture that crazy frantic youthful energy they had in the TAYF days while still pushing forward with a new sound. The whole record has grown on me so much in the last week. I'm really loving it. Also, The Stranger is such a unique song for them and it's up there with their already great list of album closers.
     
    Crisp X, blink180ryan and paythetab like this.
  21. Bartek T. Nov 3, 2023
    Bartek T.

    D'oh! Prestigious

    Well, different people (like up to 4 different members from just the main line-up over the years) wrote for the band that no longer play in TBS, so there's that
     
    grimis16 and paythetab like this.
  22. somethingliketj Nov 3, 2023
    somethingliketj

    And that's why you always leave a note.

    Nah, I'm right there with you. I genuinely want to love this seeing how much praise it's getting but... I just don't.
     
    ben., SoCoWilderNeSs, LuigiPeppercorn and 4 others like this.
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  24. RaginCajun Nov 3, 2023
    RaginCajun

    Better than you, sorry

    Wow I didn’t even think of that. Thanks!
     
  25. WadeCastle Nov 3, 2023
    WadeCastle

    Trusted

    what are you talking about? fred and matt and eddie are gone from the full length recording beginnings. mark. eddie, and adam have played on every album (cept eddie wasn't on the new one), plus shaun and john were only absent for 3 albums.
     
    RaginCajun and paythetab like this.
  26. David Falcone Nov 3, 2023
    David Falcone

    i do not exist.

    I feel you. Halfway through, I got bored.
     
    SoCoWilderNeSs likes this.
  27. theasteriskera Nov 3, 2023
    theasteriskera

    Trusted Supporter

    Damn, this review & everyone agreeing has me excited to listen to a new TBS record for the first time in probably 15 years
     
  28. Bartek T. Nov 3, 2023
    Bartek T.

    D'oh! Prestigious

    Well, what I'm saying is that with the "who even wrote those earlier songs" quote in mind; there were other musicians in the band prior to this new release. Is it not correct? Even talking about TAYF we had guitar parts brought by Eddie. Not to mention from WYWTB we had Fred and Matt really put their mark on the sound (I think they were their main songwriters then, right?).

    It's still quite a simplification, they could have had a consistent line-up and still make albums to sound vastly different, but at the same time it can't be denied there are ex-members not present for 152.