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.
The Worst Part About Me
Four Year Strong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
and I feel like I'm just flying blind,
so I'm bracing myself for the fallout
I never had a strong enough stomach for me to endure
all of the carnage, shock and the gore You're leaving me breadcrumbs to follow I try to hold it together but you just pull me apart
Go on and rip my beating heart out Fill my body up with disease It doesn't matter if I'm rotting from the inside out You're still the worst part about me I used to have the nerve to combust
but my spine is caked in dust,
completely covered in rust
clean up the mess that you left
In Four Year Strong's song "The Worst Part About Me," the lyrics delve into the uncertainties and challenges of navigating changing times. The singer confesses to feeling lost and unsure, comparing it to flying blind. They brace themselves for the aftermath, aware of their own vulnerability and inability to withstand the destruction, shock, and violence that may come.
The chorus speaks to a toxic relationship, where the other person continuously manipulates and tears the singer apart. Despite their efforts to hold themselves together, the other person consistently succeeds in breaking them down. They metaphorically describe having their beating heart ripped out and their body filled with disease. The deteriorating state of their being, however, does not change the fact that the other person remains the worst part about them.
The second verse reflects on the singer's past courage to take risks and ignite change. However, over time, their spirit has diminished, and they feel worn out, covered in dust and rust. They express frustration with consistently coughing their lungs out, a metaphor for exhaustively fighting against the destructive influence of the other person. The lyrics also convey the idea that the other person always tries to sabotage and disrupt their progress, planting harmful ideas in their head as they continuously expose themselves by taking risks.
The bridge section introduces a dramatic scene of being split down the middle, with the singer's chest opened up. It represents vulnerability and exposing one's true self. The other person is portrayed as having the power to take what they desire and leave the rest behind. However, despite the damage caused by the other person, the singer holds on to their resilience, promising to stitch themselves up and clean up the mess left behind.
Line by Line Meaning
A symptomatic sign of the changing times
A clear indication of how things are changing in society
and I feel like I'm just flying blind
I feel lost and unsure about what's happening
so I'm bracing myself for the fallout
I'm preparing for the negative consequences
I never had a strong enough stomach for me to endure
I can't handle and withstand the difficult situations
all of the carnage, shock and the gore
All the destruction, shocking events, and violence
You're leaving me breadcrumbs to follow
You're giving small clues or hints for me to follow
I try to hold it together but you just pull me apart
I attempt to keep myself composed, but you continuously break me down
Go on and rip my beating heart out
Do whatever it takes to hurt me deeply
Fill my body up with disease
Inflict me with emotional pain and suffering
It doesn't matter if I'm rotting from the inside out
Even if I'm deteriorating internally, it's insignificant
You're still the worst part about me
You remain the most negative aspect of my life
I used to have the nerve to combust
I once had the courage to explode and take action
but my spine is caked in dust
Now, I'm stagnant and lacking motivation
completely covered in rust
My drive and energy have deteriorated
and I'm sick of just coughing my lungs out
I'm tired of constantly exerting myself without progress
You always try throw another wrench in the gears
You consistently introduce obstacles and complications
filling up my head with your bad ideas
Filling my mind with your detrimental suggestions
That's what I get for always sticking my neck out
I deserve the negative consequences for being vulnerable
Split me down the middle
Divide me into two parts
Open up my chest
Expose my innermost feelings and vulnerabilities
You can Take the parts you want to keep
You can take the valuable parts or aspects you desire
leave me with the rest
Leave me with the remaining undesirable parts
I can stitch myself up good enough
I am capable of healing and rebuilding on my own
clean up the mess that you left
Fix the chaos and damage that you caused
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Alan Day, Daniel O'Connor, Jackson Massucco, Joseph Weiss
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
thepumpkinking13
I never knew there was such thing as a "drum riff", but here we are.
thepumpkinking13
That intro feels like my ears are hitting a brick wall of excellence.
Austin Williams
Gotta respect the bands in this scene that stay true to themselves and their lifelong fans. FYS forever.
AdrianBerryhill
I cannot stop listening to this album
Sunny Freitag
Look at how creative the cover is😍
Christopher Andrews
chirripitiflauticoid they meant the cover art lol. It’s a FYS original song, not a cover of another song.
chirripitiflauticoid
Is it a cover?? Didn't know it, whom from?
Manoush_k
illuminati inspiration
Justin Jones
Brain Pain sounds like a more polished and technical version of the self titled album which is amazing on it's own. I love every minute of it!
Medney
Here after hearing Puppets cover, holy shit both are so damn good