Source: Album Artwork
Four Year Strong may not have had as a successful career as some of their peers (Blink-182, or even The Wonder Years and The Story So Far), but there’s no denying that they still have a devout, core following that has seen them through thick and thin. The band have been through three labels in their 12-year career, starting off at Open Your Eyes Records. They later moved on to Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz‘ label Decaydance Records, then most recently signed to Pure Noise Records which saw the release of their fifth album, a self-titled venture, and now Some Of You Will Like This, Some Of You Won’t.
A collection of “rarities, unheard originals and reimagined favourites”, this new record is a well-rounded and intelligently thought out. First up is a slower, acoustic version of the band’s smash hit ‘It Must Really Suck To Be Four Year Strong Right Now‘, a fantastic rendition that shows a side of Four Year Strong that fans may not be so well acquainted with. ‘Heroes Get Remembered, Legends Die Trying‘ follows, another acoustic version of a highly acclaimed track, this time originally from Rise Or Die Trying, the album that truly put the four piece on the map.
For the most part, the acoustic tracks are nothing short of brilliant. They may throw a listener off course a little when you come to realize it is, in fact, the very band famed for their fast-paced instrumentals and in-your-face vocals, but ultimately it shows that Four Year Strong are incredibly versatile. The unplugged version of ‘Stuck In The Middle‘ is particularly strong, finding that perfect balance between the band’s thrashing roots and the twinkly acoustic melodies they’re working with.
‘Nice To Know‘ is one of the newbies, and has far more layers than the rest of the tracks on the album. Even so, it manages to fit in wonderfully as it sits in a pace that wouldn’t be quite right for any other Four Year Strong record. The fan favourite ‘For Our Fathers‘, which was uploaded to YouTube on Fathers’ Day 2011 but has now been re-recorded for this purpose, is the perfect finale for a record that adds far more depth to Four Year Strong like nothing that’s been seen before.
