If ypu follow emo/punk blogs you may already be familiar with the name The Years Gone By. And if you haven’t yet, you will very soon…
It would be unfair to peg the band as the next so-and-so, but vocalist Nick Madore does have a touch of the Patrick Stumpf’s about him. Musically there is a slight ‘Take This To Your Grave’-era FOB influence, but TYGB are a much poppier prospect. Think Fireworks or Hit The Lights, if you like those two bands then you will definitely get a lot out of ‘Tell Someone Else I Don’t’ and ‘What happens In ___ Stays In ____’. Very catchy choruses, huge riffs…this is a slick record full of singalongs and with pop-punk officially back in full swing I think Rise Records have a bona fide hit on their hands.
The first half of this record is fantastic. ‘This Time, It’s Our Time’ kicks things off in fine style with fast riffs, up-tempo vocals and machine gun drums. Strip away the aggression from Four Year Strong and you have a very similar type of energy and passion. Just over a minute later and you have the aforementioned ‘What Happens…’, a song catchier than anything I’ve heard in a while. ‘Follow Me Home’ is a simple song done very, very well, while ‘Reckless’ again does nothing new but hits all the right notes.
I did think the second half failed to live up to the first and a couple of songs drifted in and out slightly, but overall this is an extremely good album and one I highly recommend.