The Story So Far (Self-titled)
The Story So Far are infamous in the pop-punk community, despite only having two full length albums prior to 2015. Seeing as both were incredibly received, their new self-titled record had a lot to live up to.
‘Smile’ starts the album off with a bang, filled with fast paced drums and melodic guitars. One thing The Story So Far have always done right are their instrumentals and the album highlights this strength tremendously. ‘Heavy Gloom’ is but one example, with a grungy baseline to start it off, fading into a brilliant guitar-led background.
Lead singer Parker Cannon can not only shout his lungs out but also shows his ability to slow the pace with ‘Phantom’, my personal favourite from The Story So Far. This hauntingly beautiful song mixes guitar melodies with Cannon’s mesmerising vocals, leaving you feeling quite emotional after listening.
Lyrically, the band are incredible. Mostly written by Cannon about exes he’s known and hated, he yells out lines like “Can’t ignore / Won’t ignore / That I just don’t know you anymore” in ‘Stalemate’, forcing listeners to feel the anger and frustration that he clearly does.
The album ends on a massive high with ‘Nerve’ that is, again, a song which demonstrates their lyrical and instrumental genius.
The Story So Far is packed full of punchy, energy-filled anthems combining classic TSSF with brand new instrumentals that leave you lost for air as you shout along. This record feels so authentically TSSF that it could have been around for years and it’s definitely one you’ll think of fondly for a while to come.
Words by Anna Gregory