Photo Credits: Ashly Osborn
Long Island Pop-Punk legends Taking Back Sunday have just announced their eighth studio album 152, set to be released October 27th via Fantasy Records. The album’s name comes from the section of a road in North Caroline between Highpoint, Chapel Hill and Raleigh where members of the band used to hang with their friends growing up. 152 marks the band’s first full-length offering since 2016's Tidal Wave.
In celebrating the album’s announcement, Taking Back Sunday released a brand-new track, "S'old," a fiery declaration of commitment and accountability.
You can listen/watch the official video for "S'old" HERE or by clicking the thumbnail below.
The music video, directed by DJay Brawner, was filmed at a backyard show on Long Island. It shows the band arriving at the party to perform the song in front of an audience and throughout the performance everyone is crowdsurfing, stage diving, and just having a fun time singing along to the song. The song is anthem that touches on the subject on getting older in life and accepting the responsibilities of being an adult. The title and chorus plays on the words “sold” and “so sold”; “You’re going to get s’old/ You’re going to get so old/ You’re going to get so old either way.”
You can pre-order 152 HERE.
"'152' offers a lot more hope and light than we first realized when we were in the thick of it, putting it all together. We've been fortunate enough, through our music, to grow up with a lot of people going through the same things at the same time, and probably feeling the same way. Our hope is that you're able to find a little bit of yourself in this new collection of songs, because you're not alone, and neither are we." - Taking Back Sunday on 152
The 10 track full-length, produced by Tushar Apte and mixed by Neal Avron (Twenty One Pilots, Bleachers), features songs that will leave you feeling vulnerable but also with the feeling of ambition and finding a new purpose in life. The pandemic left the whole world in a state of uncertainty and the music industry suffered no less as a result, these events among others were the prime inspiration in making 152. It stands among the most genuinely reflective and emotionally pure efforts of Taking Back Sunday's illustrious career.
“You would think after 20 years, we knew what each other is going to do. But there were so many times making this record where I heard the initial idea and thought I knew where it would go, but then I was super surprised. It's those kinds of surprises that make it so exciting. That's why we all still want it so badly." - Adam Lazzara
"When we're writing songs, the one thing we ask ourselves, 'Is it capable of making people feel something?' You try to make people feel emotion. That's the one goal we went in with, and we think we did it." - Mark O’Connell
The quartet worked hard to craft these new tracks, starting with elaborate riffs and anthemic vocals, all the way down to elegantly warm synths and economical string arrangements. "Amphetamine Smiles," the band's soaring album opener, shows this musical ambition both musically and lyrically. It is a powerful story of reconnection as much about the band themselves as it is about the world at large. From send-up to seriousness, Taking Back Sunday continually challenged one another, exploring musical ideas in new and exciting ways. A lot of these tracks are gut-wrenching and connect on a deep level. "S'old" struggles with the obligations of adult responsibility and acceptance, (the previously released single) "The One," is a far-reaching anthem of love and brotherhood, "Keep Going," tracks the self-defeating darkness of betrayal, and "Quit Trying," drips with a 'can't run from who you are' self-awareness. There is a consistent thread of generosity, gratitude, and hope throughout 152.
The sincerity, desire, and connection that echos in Taking Back Sunday's music has garnered them a massive and dedicated fanbase that they have been building for the past two decades. Even with the big gap in between releases, new fans still discover the Long Island-based quartet and their legacy has gone no where but up as a result.
152 is Taking Back Sunday at their very best, a gripping and self-assured statement from an essential band once again at the peak of their prodigious powers. This is proof the album is worth the wait.
Taking Back Sunday is John Nolan (lead guitar, vocals), Adam Lazzara (lead vocals), Shaun Cooper (bass), Mark O'Connell (drums)
152 TRACKLISTING: "Amphetamine Smiles" "S'old" "The One" "Keep Going" "I Am the Only One Who Knows You" "Quit Trying" "Lightbringer" "New Music Friday" "Juice 2 Me" "The Stranger"
TAKING BACK SUNDAY ON TOUR: 9/09 — Las Vegas, NV — Freemont Street Experience – (Free Show) 9/29 — Cocoa, FL — Cocoa Riverfront Park 9/30 — Jupiter, FL — Dastoberfest 12/1 — Melbourne, Australia — Good Things Festival 2023 12/2 — Sydney, Australia — Good Things Festival 2023 12/3 — Brisbane, Australia — Good Things Festival 2023 More dates will be announced soon!
Photo Credits: DJay Brawner
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