“They lit a match that you gave me. So I could light up the dark.”
Put on your studded belt and get ready for a heaped portion of nostalgia: Story of the Year’s new album Tear Me To Pieces comes out this week.
The St. Louis-based post-hardcore veterans are back after a five-year wait with their sixth studio album via Sharptone Records. The band was instrumental in the post-hardcore movement 20 years ago when their debut album Page Avenue dropped. With their catchy choruses, explosive riffs, emotional lyrics, and a true blend of multiple genres, Story of the Year went from small clubs to a headlining act in no time. Fast-forward to present day and the band is back in full force hitting the road on tour as well as festivals across the world.
The title track sets the tone for the album: This is the Story of the Year we all fell in love with 20 years ago, only matured. Just like we have as listeners. What really adds to this is the lyrics, focusing on the good and bad of life experiences as you get older. No matter how hard life gets, the relationships you forge and the memories you make are what make it all worthwhile. It’s really hard for bands that have been around as long as Story of the Year to put something out that captures the same magic that made them popular. Tear Me To Pieces comes really close to doing so.
The album does a great job giving you that nostalgic feel of classic Story of the Year while still giving us a lot more genre-wise to sink our teeth into. Tracks like “Glow” and “Can’t Save You” have a more modern metalcore flair to them while “2005” and “Sorry About Me” have a pop-punk vibe that feels straight out of the early 2000s. The album closes with an emotional acoustic ballad—“Use Me” is a great bookend on a really solid record.
While the album doesn’t have stand-out songs that quite live up to “Until The Day I Die” and “Anthem of Our Dying Day”, Tear Me to Pieces is Story of the Year’s strongest record since their debut.
Buy it, Stream it, or Skip it?: Buy it and jam it with your friends. Make new moments together while celebrating the old.
You can catch Story of the Year live this summer supporting Yellowcard on their 20th-anniversary tour for their record Ocean Avenue.
