152

Taking Back Sunday

album out now

October 27, 2023

Taking Back Sunday

Fantasy Records

Fantasy Store - 152 Juice Marbled Vinyl LP

Fantasy Store - CD

Fantasy Store - Casette

Fantasy Store - 152 Juice Marble Vinyl LP + T-shirt

Fantasy Store - 152 Ltd Ed Screen Print + Vinyl LP + T-shirt Bundle

Fantasy Store - Bone Vinyl LP

Named for the section of road in North Carolina between Highpoint, Chapel Hill, and Raleigh where the band and their friends would meet up as teenagers⎯152 is the multl-platinum selling rock band’s first full-length offering since 2016’s Tidal Wave.

Commenting on their new album 152, Taking Back Sunday stated:

“152” offers a lot more hope and light than we first realized when we were in the thick of it, putting it all together. We’ve been fortunate enough, through our music, to grow up with a lot of people going through the same things at the same time, and probably feeling the same way. Our hope is that you’re able to find a little bit of yourself in this new collection of songs, because you’re not alone, and neither are we.”

Produced by Tushar Apte (whom the band met through a mutual collaboration with noted DJ Steve Aoki) and mixed by Neal Avron (Twenty One Pilots, Bleachers), the LP features 10 intensely vulnerable and absorbing new tracks all delivered with fresh ambition and newfound purpose. Inspired by the long layoff and the cloud of uncertainty that blanketed the world (and music industry) these past few years, 152 stands among the most genuinely reflective and emotionally pure efforts of Taking Back Sunday’s illustrious career.

“You would think after 20 years, we knew what each other is going to do,” said Lazzara. “But there were so many times making this record where I heard the initial idea and thought I knew where it would go, but then I was super surprised. It’s those kinds of surprises that make it so exciting. That’s why we all still want it so badly.”

Added O’Connell:

”When we’re writing songs, the one thing we ask ourselves, ‘Is it capable of making people feel something?’ You try to make people feel emotion. That’s the one goal we went in with, and we think we did it.”

From the album’s intricate riffs and anthemic vocals to its elegantly warm synths and economical string arrangements, the quartet work-shopped these new tracks like never before. That musical ambition, both musically and lyrically, is evident on the soaring album opener, “Amphetamine Smiles,” a powerful tale of reconnection that is as much about the band themselves as it is the world at-large. From send-up to seriousness, Taking Back Sunday continually challenged one another, exploring musical ideas in new and exciting ways. So many of these tracks dig deep and connect on a gut level. “S’old” struggles with the obligations of adult responsibility and acceptance, (the previously released single) “The One,” is a far-reaching anthem of love and brotherhood, “Keep Going,” tracks the self-defeating darkness of betrayal, and “Quit Trying,” drips with a ‘can’t run from who you are’ self-awareness. All through 152, the consistent thread is one of generosity, gratitude and ultimately, hope.