Taking Back Sunday – Happiness Is

Taking Back Sunday are one of those bands who a lot of people have some memories of enjoying in their teenage years, before they discovered that they really preferred head banging to Metallica, or maybe that’s just me.  However, they are still a band and they are still very much on the go having recently reformed with their original line up and having now released their sixth studio album Happiness Is.

I imagine most people reading this would be of an age where they remember when Blink 182 got ‘serious‘.  Gone were jokes about boobs and dicks and instead we had things like “Adam’s Song”.  Well this album is like a slightly less radical (and a lot less shit) version of that.  This is Taking Back Sunday all grown up and reflecting on where they are in life.  Lyrics like “you destroy what you create and wonder why it always ends the same” on “Flicker, Fade” are the norm and you get the impression this is a band who no longer want to be known as the broody guys teenagers listen to.

Sadly alongside that any claims (and the claims were always quite small) that this band had towards being at all punk have gone out the window as well.  This is at best an alternative rock album and on occasion is pure intelligent pop, is that a genre?  Tracks like “Like You Do” have a good rock tinged dance along vibe but there is nothing angry or edgy about this album.  You wouldn’t have any huge worries about it being on the stereo when your grandparents came round.

In saying all that there is still enough here to give you some joy.  Taking Back Sunday know how to write a chorus and they have written quite a few on this album that will wheedle their way into your head.  There is also some indications that they are very good song writers.  The likes of closer “Nothing At All”, with it’s stripped back feel which slowly builds up into a grandiose ending, suggests that these guys know what they are doing when it comes to crafting a song.

If you are one of those that walked away from Taking Back Sunday because of discovering that you liked things a bit angrier, you may want to give this one a miss.  The lyrics quickly begin to grate as whiny and annoying rather than deep and meaningful, while the music is never edgy or interesting enough to truly grab your attention.  However, if this kind of music is your bag I think this is probably a great album.  It’s shows a lot of maturity from a band that are seriously good at what they do and it’s pretty clear that Taking Back Sunday are back on form and ready to roll.

For Fans of: Brand New, Something Corporate

Choice Cuts: Like You Do, Beat Up Car