ALBUM REVIEW: 152 – Taking Back Sunday

Ever since their inception in 2002, American post-hardcore outfit TAKING BACK SUNDAY have drenched our souls with heartbroken sorrow and desperate longing but they’ve always done so in the style where you can sing your heart out to diminish the pain. But they took a break from crafting some of the catchiest anthems in emo and hardcore after the release of their 2016 album Tidal Wave, returning now with 152 to demonstrate that nothing has changed apart from TBS stretching their sound muscles. They’re the same band, with the same purpose of building human connection, but their sound now surpasses the two bracket genre categories they have been held in for the past 24 years.

Opener Amphetamine Smiles gently eases the listener into the awaiting emotional rollercoaster that 152 unveils itself to be. An array of acoustic guitars, stringed orchestra and piano accompany Adam Lazzara’s distinct vocal showcase that emits the emotions of bittersweet reflectiveness and that core theme of heartbreak TAKING BACK SUNDAY make damn sure they do best.

Elsewhere, early single The One and other tracks like Keep Going, Am I The Only One Who Knows You and Quit Trying do exactly what they say on the tin. Tapping into pop heavy territory with the occasional shimmer of synths akin to the likes of THE KILLERS breakthrough debut album Hot Fuss, particularly on Am I The Only One Who Knows You, all three songs are heartfelt in their approach, scaled up to a stadium-sized pop sounding atmosphere. TAKING BACK SUNDAY have been the crème de la crème of churning out anthem after anthem and nothing is stopping them from continuing to do that on 152.

The album comes to a close with The Stranger. A song that is fuzzy and warm in its sound yet cold and lonely in its lyrics, The Stranger may be the listener’s last hope of a glimmer of optimism amongst the rubble of broken hearts but as its story of being lonesome alludes to, it dashes all of those.

Overall, on 152 TAKING BACK SUNDAY preserve the DNA that has defined every inch of their success to date but they are also clearly curious about branching out to new horizons and perhaps this album will be their mainstream leap or at least an attempt at that even if arguably they do miss by a fraction on this record.

Rating: 7/10

152 is out now via Fantasy Records.

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