History
Formation and It's Our Time (2001–2006)
Rise or Die Trying, Explains It All (2006–2009)
The band's 2007 release Rise or Die Trying with I Surrender Records peaked at number 31 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart in its debut week. On the back of their increasing popularity, the band was signed to Decaydance Records in February 2008.
On July 21, 2009, Four Year Strong released an album of covers from the 1990s, titled Explains It All. The album features guest appearances from Keith Buckley of Every Time I Die, Travis McCoy of Gym Class Heroes, and JR and Buddy of Less Than Jake. The band explained their reasoning behind the album in a MySpace blog, saying "It’s what we grew up listening to. Everyone has those songs that instantly transport you back to when you were younger. Whether we were in our bedrooms playing air guitar, or riding in the car to little league practice, or it was just that song that was all over the radio during that awesome summer at the Cape. These songs have impacted us in some way and we want to share that feeling with you."
Enemy of the World (2010)
The band's 3rd full-length album, Enemy of the World, was released on March 9, 2010 on Universal Motown Records. The band released the album's first single, "It Must Really Suck to Be Four Year Strong Right Now", on December 21, 2009. The name of the song is a reference to the final sentence of a review in Alternative Press in which the magazine praised Set Your Goals' new album while remarking on the future of Four Year Strong and how their record would compare. The vinyl record was made available to pre-order on March 2, 2010. The album sold 12,400 copies in its first week, debuting at number 40 on the Billboard 200.
On April 3, 2011, it was announced that Josh Lyford would be leaving the band. Initially, it was implied that Lyford had chosen to leave in order to focus on his side project, Foxfires. However, it was later confirmed by both Lyford and Alan Day, that the band had elected to remove synthesizers from their sound leaving no room for Lyford to continue. The band has said they will continue as a four piece.
In Some Way, Shape or Form (2011–present)
On April 13, 2011, in an interview with Alternative Press, the band revealed that they had been in the middle of recording their fourth studio album with producer David Bendeth in New Jersey's House of Loud. The band is set to return to the studio, without Josh Lyford, to finish the album in June, after they finish touring with Rise Against. Vocalist Alan Day has also revealed that the new songs the band had written were very diverse, and that the new material is different than anything the band has ever written. While touring with Rise Against, they have been playing a newly recorded, yet unreleased song called "Falling on You".
On August 18, 2011, the band released "Stuck in the Middle", a new song from the upcoming album. The band announced that the new album will be titled In Some Way, Shape, or Form, and will be released on November 8, 2011. On September 8, 2011, the band released another song from the album, entitled "Falling on You." The first official single from the album, "Just Drive", is set for release on September 27, 2011
During the Fall 2011 AP Tour, the band played another new unreleased song which will be released on the upcoming album. The band dedicates it to fans who have been there "from the very beginning, and will be there till the very end." a video of the song has been leaked on YouTube. It is called "Fairweather Fan."
Touring
The band has done multiple national tours, sharing the stage with such bands as The Starting Line, Slip On It, Hellogoodbye, From First to Last, Every Time I Die, Meg & Dia, Hidden in Plain View, Alexisonfire, All Time Low, Mayday Parade, New Found Glory, Bayside and Steel Train. The band toured in February–April 2009 as part of the Taste of Chaos tour, alongside Thursday, Bring Me the Horizon, Pierce the Veil, and Cancer Bats. They undertook the Summer co-headline tour with Set Your Goals, and also Fireworks, The Swellers, Polar Bear Club, A Loss For Words, Drive A and Grave Maker from July to August 2009. Four Year Strong also performed on the Australian Soundwave festival in February and March 2010, alongside headliners Faith No More, Janes Addiction, Placebo; also playing alongside Alexisonfire, Set Your Goals, A Day To Remember, Paramore, It Dies Today, Gallows, Emarosa, A Wilhelm Scream, Anthrax, All Time Low, Escape The Fate, This Is Hell, Enter Shikari, Anti-Flag, Baroness, Comeback Kid, The Almost, Dance Gavin Dance, Architects, You Me At Six, Rolo Tomassi, Dichi Michi, Sunny Day Real Estate and many more. The band was in the lineup for Vans Warped Tour 2010 and played on the Altec Lansing stage along side Breathe Carolina, Hey Monday, and Set Your Goals.[7] They also played the first day on the Bamboozle festival. Late 2010, Four Year Strong headlined a tour with Comeback Kid, The Wonder Years, American Fangs, and Mountain Man. The tour was entitled "Tonight We Feel Alive!", and spanned the entire United States. In February 2011, Four Year Strong co-headlined the Kerrang! Relentless Tour 2011 with Good Charlotte with support from Framing Hanley and The Wonder Years, The tour began February 3rd in Dublin, Ireland. On the 15th February 2011 it was announced that they had been added to support Blink 182 on their UK tour alongside You Me At Six They will be joining Rise Against and Bad Religion on a US summer tour in 2011. They have also announced that they will come back to Australia later in the year to play Soundwave Revolution along with already announced bands The Damned Things, Story of The Year, Every Time I Die, Hellogoodbye, We Are The In Crowd and many others. They still have yet to announce an upcoming Detroit show. It is long overdue.
Musical style
The band's sound can be described as popcore a blend of pop punk, hardcore punk, and power pop. This genre is popularly referred to as "easycore" or "happycore". The band simply developed their sound off the idea of playing 'exactly what they want to hear' or music that they would listen to, but no one else was playing at the time.[8] The band has cited their influences as being Lifetime, Saves the Day, Gorilla Biscuits, Blink-182, and New Found Glory, to name a few. Though the band would primarily start out as a post-hardcore , the release of their demo in 2004 would mark a shift from post-hardcore to more synthesizer-heavy tracks, where the band would begin to embrace the styles of power pop and general hardcore punk. Prior to the release of and at times within Rise or Die Trying, the band also incorporates more facets of modern hardcore, such as double bass drums, breakdowns and screaming vocals. For their 3rd studio album, Enemy of the World, the band decided to expand upon their hardcore influences.
Influences
The band has many references to 1990's pop culture. They have been known to quote lines from '90s films in lyrics/song titles/ and in conversation. They were influenced by all the bands on their cover album Explains It All.
Get out of My Head
Four Year Strong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You know the feelingYou want me to burn out but I'd rather fade away
The lyrics to Four Year Strong's song "Get out of My Head" convey a sense of frustration and vulnerability. The singer is desperately seeking an escape from their troubled reality and yearns to enter a dream-like state where their problems no longer bother them. However, even in this dream state, their troubles still linger and suffocate them, adding to their difficulty in breathing. The singer acknowledges their struggle to accept the truth and move on, but they are unable to do so because their mind is consumed by thoughts of someone else.
The chorus, "Get out of my head," serves as a plea for this person to leave their thoughts, indicating that they have a significant influence on the singer's mental state. The lyrics suggest that if the singer remains stagnant and doesn't take action, they will sink further into their unproductive and negative mind frame. The line, "The world just keeps on turning as I'm turning inside out," further emphasizes their inner turmoil and how it contrasts with the external world that continues to move forward.
The second verse builds on the theme of being trapped in a cycle, unable to escape the influence of this person. The singer describes finding pieces on the floor that no longer fit together as they should, symbolizing the breakdown of their life and relationships. Despite their efforts to resist, they always find themselves drawn back to this person, unable to break free. The line, "You've got me ripping up the floor instead of breaking through the ceiling," suggests that instead of progressing and reaching new heights, the singer is stuck in a destructive cycle, tearing things apart.
Overall, "Get out of My Head" captures the internal struggle of trying to move on from someone while feeling trapped in a relentless cycle of thoughts and emotions. It delves into the conflict between desiring an escape from reality and the inability to break free from the hold someone has on your mind.
Line by Line Meaning
I just want to fall asleep and drift away and wake up in a dream
I desire to escape reality and enter a world where everything is still messed up, but it doesn't affect me emotionally.
Where everything's still fucked up but it doesn't bother me
In this alternate reality, despite the chaos, I am unaffected and find inner peace.
Instead it all fills up my lungs until I can barely breathe
However, this dream world becomes suffocating and overwhelming, making it difficult for me to breathe.
All the time I try and tell myself the truth
Despite my attempts, I continually struggle to face and accept the reality of my situation.
All I hear is you
Your presence dominates my thoughts, drowning out any other voices or thoughts.
So Get out of my head
I plea for you to leave my mind and stop occupying my every thought.
I know without a doubt if I don't get up I'll sink right through the couch
If I don't take action and change my circumstances, I will become stagnant and consumed by my current state of mind.
Where the rotting of my brain is all I have to think about
My mind becomes fixated on negative thoughts and self-destructive patterns, leaving no room for positivity or growth.
The world just keeps on turning as I'm turning inside out
While life continues to move forward, I feel like I'm unraveling internally, experiencing turmoil and confusion.
All the pieces that I'm picking up off the floor
I am attempting to assemble the shattered fragments of my life that have fallen apart.
They don't seem to fit the way they're supposed to anymore
Despite my efforts, the pieces no longer fit together harmoniously as they did before, causing frustration and uncertainty.
All the things that I've been trying not to do
Despite my attempts to avoid certain actions or behaviors, I find myself inevitably drawn towards them.
They always lead me back to you
No matter how hard I try to escape or move on, my choices and actions continuously bring me back to you, keeping you in my life.
Thought I saw the writing on the wall but now I see the paint is peeling
I once believed I understood the signs and indications of our relationship, but now I realize that my perception was flawed, and the truth is unraveling.
You've got me ripping up the floor instead of breaking through the ceiling
Instead of progressing and overcoming obstacles, you have me engaged in destructive and futile actions, hindering my personal growth and advancement.
You know the feeling
You are well aware of the emotional turmoil and confusion you have caused me.
You want me to burn out but I'd rather fade away
While you may desire for me to become exhausted and lose my spark, I would prefer to gradually disappear and distance myself from this toxic situation.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Joseph Weiss, Alan Day, Daniel O'Connor, Jackson Massucco
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Andy Ham
Brain Pain has the best guitar tones I’ve ever heard in my entire life. The self titled is my favorite album of all time but brain pain might have passed it. This album is pure gold front to back.
Tren Is Okay
Agree
Nick Coffeen
i think they finally perfected their sound. every song has been incredible
Jason Loves Music Reacting
@Steven Shellhammer Agreed. Listening now.
Steven Shellhammer
@Anthony Buada this album is sick. They saved the best for last.
Anthony Buada
@Travis Aron None that has grabbed my attention or have been memorable to me at least with the four singles. Just saying, the guitaring from older stuff compared to their latest stuff, the FYS sound has been watered down and theres nothing wrong with that. I just prefer the more technical/shredding aspects of FYS that they are known for doing during their singing parts. Also, just noticed the new album just dropped so I'll give it a listen and report back to this thread with my thoughts :)
Travis Aron
Anthony Buada hasn’t been any interesting riffs???????? Bro
Anthony Buada
@Jason Loves Music Reacting The guitaring is perfect in Brain Pain! I just felt like the lyrics weren't memorable or catchy for me to want to keep listening to it or go back to more times. I am sure if I see them perform Brain Pain live, it would be a different story cause that song goes haaaard in terms of being upbeat, a great mosh pit song and headbanger.
Four Year Strong
BRAIN PAIN OUT TOMORROW!!!
Mark Yeah
I wish i cab have one of your picks 😍😍