ALBUM REVIEW: I Want To Disappear – The Story So Far
As of today, June 21st, summer is now in full swing. Pop-punk bands have often provided the soundtrack to these months over the years, and this one is no exception as THE STORY SO FAR return with their fifth album I Want To Disappear. Since 2011, the quartet have built a following with their infectious brand of pop-punk, and if you’re a diehard fan you’ll love this record. If, however, you are more of a casual fan, you may struggle to enjoy this fully, even if you can appreciate its stronger moments.
Opener All This Time ticks every box with its classic pop-punk sound. From its shouty lyrics and fast paced power chords, it’s a fun and infectious opener that gives off the same feeling you’d find with bands such as NEW FOUND GLORY or even a more modern pop-punk sound like that of NECK DEEP. It wouldn’t feel amiss on a young adult film soundtrack or in one of the American Pie films. Following this is Watch You Go – a song that is potentially going to work much better in a live setting. It has a raucous feel to it with a great blend of swirling guitars and crashing drum beats that will make sweaty little venues conjure up mosh pits and circle pits as soon as it starts. It’s just a shame that it’s over way too soon.
Letterman follows and slows things down a little bit but it has a steady drum beat that helps to set the tempo of the song. Whilst there is another big chorus in this track, it does little to create any more excitement than its predecessors already have and at times feels slightly meandering before it just finishes without adding too much to the record itself. Jump The Gun brings the album back into form almost instantly by ramping the pace back up with a fun relatable song about maybe trying things out with someone before the time is right – we’ve all been there and this particular theme has appeared on many pop-punk tunes over the years.
If you were lucky enough to catch THE STORY SO FAR supporting BLINK-182 on their UK tour last October, you’ll have seen Big Blind featured in their set. Whilst offering more of the same of what’s been and gone so far on the record, it’s still a fun little number that makes it impossible to keep still whilst listening. The lead guitar guides the song throughout and makes you want to dance along as soon as it starts. Once you’re past the halfway point of the record, it does start to offer more of the same which is often the case when it comes to pop-punk. Nothing To Say and Keep You Around are fun tracks but feel quite interchangeable at times.
You’re Still In My Way has a more old school style about it. It’s fast-paced, fun and very reminiscent of BLINK-182 in their heyday, especially with how its guitar sounds and the overlapping vocals that feature throughout. It’s the only track on the record that feels like it has a bit of an attitude as well, it’s just a shame that a few more tracks don’t have the same feel to them. Penultimate track White Shoes is the only song on this record that actually does something a little different. It’s a slightly slower track than the rest and features an acoustic guitar at the forefront for the majority of the song before it reaches a huge anthemic crescendo in what works as one of the highlights of the album. It’ll definitely be a lighters/phone torches in the air moment when it comes to the live setting. Rounding out the record is the title track – an acoustic number that has a good vocal performance that closes things out with one of the more subtle songs on the record.
Overall, I Want To Disappear is a decent record but nothing special. Quite a few times throughout listening, the songs feel like they just suddenly stop and like they don’t have proper endings which is a little jarring. The album itself does feel a little too safe at times too. There have been many pop-punk bands over the years that have pushed themselves a little bit with their songwriting skills and musicianship to create something more unique than you’d get with a typical record in the genre. Whilst there are some strong moments throughout, they don’t appear enough which makes the album lack a little bite. It’s one of those records that would maybe have benefitted more as an EP, because when this album has its moments, they’re great fun which just makes you feel like I Want To Disappear could have been much more than it is.
Rating: 6/10
I Want To Disappear is out now via Pure Noise Records.
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