t’s well known just how much we here at PT love Four Year Strong. Not just the mods either, the forums are alive with the glory of FYS love. It’s not really a surprise – the band are the perfect mix between a band pop-punk kids can love and a band the hardcore kids can love. They’re accepted by both genres in the same way New Found Glory are – ever heard anyone who doesn’t like NFG?! Anyway, FYS seem to have been touring this last record for what seems like forever and to tide us over until the next album they’ve been busy in the studio recording 90s covers. And ‘Explains It All’ is the end result – an album so utterly fun it will instantly put a smile on your face.
The theme for this album is nothing more (or less) than songs the band grew up on. There’s a mix of styles, everything from Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins to Tal Bachman, No Doubt and Del Amitri. And unlike the Fearless Records ‘Pop Goes…’ series in the last year or two, the songs are all very well known and all work brilliantly. At times the band do stick to the original a little too rigidly (‘In Bloom’ is a carbon copy and sounds a bit weird as a result), but when they make the song their own it comes off perfectly. ‘Spiderwebs’ is a real treat and the chug-chug-chug guitars in the outro are a great addition. ‘Semi Charmed Life’ and ‘She’s So High’ are perfect too, while ‘Ironic’ is a lot of fun. I think this record works so well because every song is so well known – while a couple did much better in the US than the UK, if you also grew up with them, as I did, it’s a little bit of a musical history tour.
‘Explains It All’ is a great little record. It’s a fun, singalong experience that will put a smile in your face. It’s not perfect – I’d have liked a few more breakdowns and a few more screams to make it even more of a FYS record – but what it lacks in some places it makes up for in smiles. One of the records of the summer, if not the year.