Four Year Strong’s self-titled album is the bands sixth full length and it’s one of their strongest to date with huge amounts of energy that you would expect from a new young band, but has the experience and charisma of an older band.
We All Float Down Here opens with an incredible riff thats high in energy and prepares you for a high energy song with some classic Four Year Strong vibes. The drums are well written and really help to bring out the differing elements of the song – they help to make the vocals punch through and help give the guitar some more passion. The instrumental break is a well crafted piece of music that’ll make you want to move and see a pop punk band in a small sweaty venue.
Eating My Words shows off the bands ability to write a melody and a contagious guitar riffs that’ll make you move, the bass helps to give the songs some solid structure and help bring the drops in and give them some more life. The vocals are incredibly soothing while simultaneously being aggressive and giving that raw edge that the band blend so well. The aggressive vocals can also be seen on Stolen Credit Card!, which is a dramatic, heavier upbeat song that the band have proven they write so well.
I’m A Big, Bright, Shining Star shows off the fantastic complex drum beats that the band are able to incorporate into their music. It shows off the bands love of a good, compelx guitar riff, it’s clear to see the band have incredibly talented guitarists. The bass in the song gives it a bit of funk and soul and makes you want to jump and dance along. You can’t have a pop punk record without smashing a snare drum to death and the Sound Of Your Heart has just that as well as a catchy chorus and incredible guitar as is the norm for Four Years Strong.
The album closes with Go Down In History which was on the title of the previous EP; they’ve rerecorded the song and it sounds huge and crisp. The chorus is huge and you will want to scream it from the top of your lungs as you dance along. The two vocalist work with each other very well just like they do in the opening song I Hold Myself In Contempt, the more aggressive vocals work very well with the more innocent vocals to create a very pleasant listening experience that will make you want to sing along to every line.
The album is a great piece of pop punk and the band should be proud of what they’ve composed on this record. The band have a strong following already and this album is going to put them on the map for years to come. Four guys, an amazing record and even better beards, let’s hope they keep going strong for Four years to come.
8/10
