Photo by Ashley Osborn
From throwing a house show to crashing a wedding, Taking Back Sunday has done it all – and that's just within this past year. The beloved rock band released their eighth studio album (and Fantasy Records debut) 152 on October 27th and with it have reminded fans around the world that they’ve still got plenty of surprises up their sleeves.
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 long-awaited 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.
The band shared: "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.”
152 has been met with critical acclaim, including: Kerrang! (who declared: “…it might just be the best album of their career.”, US Weekly, Classic Rock, Brooklyn Vegan, Dork, Outburn, and more. It’s an album that is already solidifying its place amongst the band’s esteemed discography and proving what Taking Back Sunday has always known: the best is always ahead.
Taking Back Sunday are celebrating the release of their new album with an intimate sold out show at New York City’s Bowery Ballroom on Monday, November 13th. Fans can also look forward to their annual holiday spectacular on December 13th and 14th at Mulcahy’s on Long Island (both dates sold out!) and December 15th and 16th at Starland Ballroom in New Jersey.
On Saturday, December 16th, Taking Back Sunday will also be holding their annual Holiday Pop-Up Shop and fundraiser at Starland Ballroom. Attendees will be able to catch a special acoustic set featuring some of the band’s hits as well as holiday classics, check out vendors, take photos with Santa, buy exclusive merch, and more. In honor of the band’s longtime attorney Dave Stein, a donation will be made to Tamerlaine Sanctuary & Preserve.
For a full list of upcoming shows, please see below or visit www.takingbacksunday.com.
They’ve been making music together as a band for more than 20 years, have sold millions of albums—and along the way, amassed a devoted, international fan base. But ask the members of Taking Back Sunday if they still feel a burning desire to make a powerful impact and connect in a big way, and there’s not a moment of hesitation in the response. “I’m gonna try and conquer the world every time,” says lead singer Adam Lazzara with a smile.” Adds drummer Mark O’Connell: “When we’re writing songs, the one thing we ask ourselves is, ‘will it make people feel something?’ You try to make people feel emotion. That’s the one goal we went in with, and I think we did it.”
This unrelenting pursuit of greatness lies at the heart of 152, Taking Back Sunday’s long-awaited, thrilling eighth studio album (and Fantasy Records debut) out now. Written and refined over the course of several years, the group’s first full-length offering since 2016’s Tidal Wave is a passionate, melody-infused confessional from a band forever known for its honesty and vulnerability. The 10-track LP was produced by Tushar Apte (whom the band met through a mutual collaboration with DJ Steve Aoki) and mixed by Neal Avron (Twenty One Pilots, Bleachers).
“What Mark describes was the process for ‘Amphetamine Smiles,’” notes lead guitarist John Nolan. “When I brought that demo in, the band was vocal about making changes but not from some negative motivation. You have to be able to trust and listen to try to make the song better. We all had to do that constantly throughout the process of making this album, and it shows.”
When Taking Back Sunday first sat down together in late 2019 to begin working in earnest on what became 152, the band laid out some ground rules from the outset. They weren’t out to simply add more songs to their already-storied catalog, but rather make a piece of art they could be proud of.
To that end, so many of the songs that comprise 152 were workshopped like never before. As the band members explain, over the years they’ve learned to love letting a piece of music develop from its initial idea all the way to its sometimes drastically-different finished form. It’s a journey they’ve undoubtedly been on many times before when making previous albums, but as they found out when making 152, it’s one that continues to thrill them and keep things fresh.
Lazzara gets animated as he describes how so many songs on 152 morphed over the multi-year writing and recording process. Whether it was “S’old” transforming from a punky, Green Day- style rocker into a slow-building, emotion-dripping plea for acceptance, or “I Am The Only One Who Knows You,” which evolved from a galloping rock song into a beatific ballad, so many of the songs that comprise 152 found Taking Back Sunday continually surprising one another with musical ideas in new and exciting ways.
“You would think after 20 years we know what each other is going to do,” offers Lazzara. “But there were so many times making this record where you would hear the initial idea and think, ‘I know where this is going,’ but then was super surprised where it ended up. It’s those kinds of surprises that make it so exciting. That’s why we all still want it so badly.” Adds bassist Shaun Cooper: “If you can predict what each other is going to do, then it just becomes a job. It’s not an artistic expression. You’re not trying to grow.”
A major part of that growth is heard explicitly in 152’s unguarded lyrics: 20-plus years into Taking Back Sunday, Lazzara and Nolan are peeling back the curtain like never before. From the heartfelt recollections of the album’s epic opener “Amphetamine Smiles,” to the expressive yearning in lead single “The One”, listeners are invited into the songwriters’ collective heart.
Revitalized and unusually optimistic, Taking Back Sunday is ready to embrace what lies ahead. “Normally it’s like, this is working right now, let’s just go with it and see what happens,” admits Lazzara. “But the process of making this record has helped get me to a point where I’m looking ahead. I’m so excited about the possibilities. You’ve got to keep moving forward. We need to continue building onto this wonderful world.”
Taking Back Sunday is: John Nolan (lead guitar, piano, vocals); Adam Lazzara (lead vocals); Shaun Cooper (bass); and Mark O’Connell (drums).
Upcoming Tour Dates:
11/13 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom (Album Release Show) *SOLD OUT
11/29 – Melbourne, Australia – 170 Russell
12/1 — Melbourne, Australia — Good Things Festival 2023
12/2 — Sydney, Australia — Good Things Festival 2023
12/3 — Brisbane, Australia — Good Things Festival 2023
12/5 – Woolloongabba, Australia – The Princess Theatre
12/6 – Marrickville, Australia – Factory Theatre
12/13 – Wantagh, NY – Mulcahy’s Pub and Concert Hall (Holiday Spectacular) *SOLD OUT
12/14 – Wantagh, NY – Mulcahy’s Pub and Concert Hall (Holiday Spectacular) *SOLD OUT
12/15 – Sayreville, NJ – Starland Ballroom (Holiday Spectacular)
12/16 – Sayreville, NJ – Starland Ballroom (Holiday Pop-Up Shop)
12/16 – Sayreville, NJ – Starland Ballroom (Holiday Spectacular) *SOLD OUT
