“I’m tired and fading, impatiently waiting for nothing at all.”
Four Year Strong is one of those bands that never fails to bring me back. Records like Rise or Die Trying and Enemy of the World were required listening for mine and my friends’ teenage years, soundtracking hours of illicit smoke sessions and driving through the farm and college towns of Western Massachusetts alike. Subsequent records In Some Way, Shape, or Form. and Four Year Strong each had songs that I enjoyed, though overall I can’t say that either project resonated with me in the same ways the previous two had. But 2020’s Brain Pain felt like a return to form for the Worcester quartet, with the record encapsulating everything that makes them great and making it presentable for a modern audience with more adventurous songwriting and crisp production at the hands of Will Putney.
Now four years later, when presented with the opportunity to review Four Year Strong’s latest offering in analysis paralysis, I couldn’t resist. Admittedly, the initial singles from this album cycle didn’t quite land with me. But I was intrigued by singles “aftermath/afterthought,” “uncooked,” and “daddy of mine” venturing even further into the core side of easycore than the previous record did, and I was curious to see whether analysis paralysis could effectively continue the momentum that had been generated by Brain Pain.
Vocalist/guitarist duo Dan O’Connor and Alan Day’s distinctive paired vocals have always had an infectious way of making you want to shout along with them. While I find that a lot of the lyricism across analysis paralysis left me less than impressed, O’Connor and Day are still able to deliver dynamic performances that will translate well to live settings. Additionally, I can appreciate the group’s attempts to lean harder into the heavier side of their sound. Grittier vocals, downtuned breakdowns, and hardcore riffs create some exciting moments across the record’s runtime. But the relatively short runtimes and cookie cutter nature of a lot of these tracks make those moments feel like flashes in the pan, instead of genuinely consistent songwriting. That more than half of the tracks on analysis paralysis have sub-three minute runtimes results in a significant portion of the album feeling rushed and half-baked. But there are still plenty of cool tidbits to be found and noted across the record. “aftermath/afterthought” and “STFIL” make effective use of their electronic elements, while “out of touch” employs some vaguely reggae-inspired guitar and “paranoia” gets a sick guitar solo.
The closing stretch of the record and its three longer tracks ended up leaving the biggest impact on me. “rollercoaster” opens on a slower note before kicking things into gear, switching from vibrant vocals and punchy riffing to its catchy chorus and spacious, cleaned up guitar tones. “better get better” feels the most reminiscent of classic Four Year Strong, anthemic and catchy though at the expense of playing it safe, overly repetitive lyricism, and sounding a bit dated. Final track “how do i let you go?” was the most surprising for me on the record, catching me off guard with the heartfelt and emotional note it leaves off on.
You don’t enjoy the kind of career longevity that Four Year Strong has without a few missteps. While there is enough on analysis paralysis to pique interest, there is perhaps not enough to keep it. While I can appreciate the ways the group is trying to shake up their sound, I do think the recordcould have benefited from more dedicated and intentional songwriting. But regardless of how I might feel about some of these songs, there’s no doubt in my mind that quite a few of them will make for some killer additions on future setlists.
6/10
analysis paralysis is out today Friday August 9th via Pure Noise Records. You can find merch and orders for the record here.