Follow @muzik_speaks Tweet to @muzik_speaks
The Story So Far are a five-piece band from Walnut Creek, California, consisting of members; Parker Cannon (lead vocals), Kelen Capener (bass), Kevin Geyer (guitar & keyboards), Will Levy (Guitar) and Ryan Torf (drums/percussion). The band are currently signed to Pure Noise Records and Proper Dose (produced by Sam Pura, mixed by Eric Valentine) marks the band’s fourth studio album. Here’s what we have to say about it…
In honesty, this is the first album I’ve listened to by The Story So Far (I’ve failed as a pop punk fan…I know!) but right from the very first listen, you can tell it’s something special; at its core, it is a pop punk album but there is something incredibly mature about its sound too. I remember being blown away by Sugarcult when they released their album, Lights Out; this feels just like that!
This is an album that doesn’t mess around; right from the start, it kicks into gear, exactly as it means to go on! Title track, ‘Proper Dose’, is a beautifully chaotic introduction to the album which continuously builds into a euphoric crescendo that you just can’t help but be consumed by.
It leads straight into ‘Keep This Up’; a personal and intense track that sees singer, Parker Cannon, look at disconnecting himself from the world around him, using drugs to help, but facing the fact that he could lose those around him.
Some of the must-hear tracks include: ‘Take Me As You Please’ – a rather enchanting track, led by the hum of the acoustic guitar, seeing Parker Cannon facing some relationship woes; ‘Let It Go’ is rich in texture and tone due to the blend of acoustic and electric guitars – it’s a track you just want to play loud, drive fast, windows down, with the sun in your face and wind in your hair whilst ‘Need To Know’ is more a traditional pop punk song with it’s fast-paced, double-time drums that are so indicative of the likes of early New Found Glory, yet towards the end it completely changes pace and becomes far more mellow and reflective.
It’s a self-reflective look at finding your way from the person you were and paving the way to the person you want to be.
Other tracks that also grab your attention are ‘Out Of It’ with its rather in-your-face verses that switch up to a far more epic, drawn-out chorus, ‘Upside Down’ is a truly tear-jerking ballad that will bring a tear to the eye and ‘Line’ is a really wonderful interlude that leads out of ‘Need To Know’ – it has great drum pads, beach-like guitars and hauntingly distant vocals; it’s like something you’d expect to hear from the likes of Moby or The Avalanches but it’s a welcome difference from the rest of the record…only adding further dynamism to it.
This is an album that truly takes you on a journey – it’s a self-reflective look at finding your way from the person you were and paving the way to the person you want to be; it’s about transformation. Evolution. Maturity.
I truly believe this record has achieved something incredible – it’s managed to maintain a well-loved and often, over-saturated genre but at the same time, taken it in a completely new direction, with a wonderfully dynamic sound to it. This is sure to be a very exciting time for the band – it is certainly a very exciting record to listen to!
Rating
‘Proper Dose’ is out now and can be downloaded from iTunes – https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/proper-dose/1412097802
Proper Dose on Spotify
Upside Down (Official Music Video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgc8a7ikd2w
Let It Go (Official Audio)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2hrXCeXtrY
We hope you’ve enjoyed our review! What do you think of this band’s fourth offering? Are you as much of a fan as us? What would you rate it out of 5? Please leave your thoughts in a comment or via our social media.
Enjoyed this? Check out some of our other reviews here:
Muzik Speaks Album Reviews
Matt – Muzik Speaks
www.facebook.com/muzikspeaks
www.twitter.com/muzik_speaks
Muzik Speaks 