A tiny spark to set it off, ignite the dark and live it up

Four Year Strong – when these guys appeared on my radar, they pretty much changed my whole pop punk listening experience. Before discovering this band, I didn’t know about ‘easycore’ (though these guys probably helped put it on the map) and was blown away. How can such heavy music have catchy lyrics and melodies? It was a match made in heaven. Let’s not forget the TBS dual-vocal style from the two vocalists which was icing on the cake.

Four Year Strong – Abandon Ship or Abandon All Hope

In addition to being upbeat and energetic, the songs weren’t all about getting heartbroken. A lot of their music was about being positive – not something I listened to very often. It was a nice change of pace. Four Year Strong also got me more interested in electric guitars, chugging and breakdowns. While it may not show in my songwriting, they’ve been a big influence to me.

Anyway, these guys had a few solid releases before their 2007 release – Rise Or Die Trying – which was how I discovered these guys. Since that album, their follow ups haven’t been as good or anywhere close but I guess they’re still trying to recreate its magic (if they’re even trying at all). Their 2015 release was almost there, but Rise Or Die Trying is a record which I haven’t stopped listening to.

Four Year Strong – Heroes Get Remember Legends Never Die

In addition to their immense amount of talent and songwriting skills, these guys rock glorious beards. You wouldn’t be wrong if you thought they were a bunch of pirates who found and played some instruments. Also, they have awesome album covers. Here’s some of my favorite songs from them:

Four Year Strong – Bada Bing Wit A Pipe