Do you love bubblegum pop-punk? Do you love sign-alongs? Do you love ridiculous breakdowns? Well, then Four Year Strong and their debut full-length, Rise or Die Trying, are going to be exactly what you've been seeking. This Worcester, Massachusetts five-piece delivers pogo-errific pop-punk with more than a few opportunities to sing-along and break out your dance moves.
Rise or Die Trying is eleven tracks of powerful pop-punk accented with hardcore-inspired breakdowns and a dash of pop music flavoring. "The Take Over" opens up as though this is a hardcore album; building drum beats, followed by crisp guitar blasts and chanted vocals. If you listen to the first song of the album, "Prepare to be Digitally Manipulated," you'll have a good idea of what you can except throughout the entire album. The album starts off with some synths, but unlike other bands that incorporate them, they don't totally overtake the song, rather they add to the overall feel. Musically, things are upbeat modern pop-punk and pop music fused as one (think Hit the Lights or Fall Out Boy). Then, in the middle of the song, we hit a hardcore breakdown that is teamed with guest vocals by Mat Brusco of Bury Your Dead. Then, we magically go back to the pop-punk/snyth combo as though the breakdown never happened. This is all a bit too formulistic.
Four Year Strong continue to steamroll through song after song, never straying too far from the formula used above, with some leaning more in the pop direction - "Abandon Ship or Abandon All Hope" and "Catastrophe" - while others hit with a harder edge - "Heroes Get Remembered, Legends Never Die" and "Beatdown in the Key of Happy."
Lyrically, co-vocalists Alan Day and Dan O'Connor tread water in familiar territory. The majority of the subject matter focuses around relationships and the feelings of disdain and resentment that stem from failed relationships/friendships.
Rise or Die Trying is a fun record to listen to, but the songs are very predictable and one-dimensional, and the breakdowns are often unnecessary. If you're looking for an album to sing-along to, or a band that is fun to see live, then Four Year Strong is likely your band. If you're looking for something with a little more substance, I'd suggest looking elsewhere. Then again, bubble-gum pop-punk has never really been about in-depth and serious subject matter.
