Four Year Strong ‘In Some Way, Shape, Or Form’ Review: A Different, But Still Solid Band

Is change truly for the better?

For the Worcester, MA-based band, Four Year Strong, they believe so.

In hopes to mature their sound in their follow-up album to last year’s well-received “Enemy Of The World,” the current AP Tour Headliners opted to remove their trademark synthesizers completely, relieving Keyboardist Josh Lyford of his duties.

With Lyford gone, the band’s lineup remains as Dan O’Connor (Vocals/Guitar), Alan Day (Vocals/Guitar), Joe Weiss (Bass), and Jake Mussucco (Drums).

To imagine a FYS song without synthesizers/keyboards may seem absurd, but thus is so with “In Some Way, Shape, Or Form,” their latest release from Universal Republic/Decaydance Records.

The album was produced by David Bendeth, who’s produced other albums such as A Day To Remember’s “What Separates Me From You,” Set Your Goals’ “This Will Be The Death Of Us!,” and Paramore’s “Riot!”

After a few listens, it becomes apparent that maybe the removal of synthesizers wasn’t the best decision.

There’s still enough screaming, gang vocals, and breakdowns to go around though. It’s still Four Year Strong doing what they do best, and most tracks sound radio-ready.

In fact, there are three tracks in particular that are fantastic: “Stuck In The Middle,” “Fairweather Fan,” and “Only The Meek Get Pinched, The Bold Survive.”

“Stuck In The Middle” boasts a catchy chorus, impactful lyrics, and is more like the older FYS and it all comes together very nicely at the end of the song.

“Fairweather Fan” is more hardcore-influenced and yet still holds that “pop punk” feel, very reminiscent of the “Enemy Of The World” sound.

“Only The Meek Get Pinched, The Bold Survive” actually begins with a piano, almost giving the song a “Bohemian Rhapsody” feel before it transitions to a guitar-driven verse. It’s different from what FYS normally dishes out, but it works here. It’s an incredibly interesting track that also does a great job of closing out the album.

However, there are eight other tracks on the album that aren’t as fantastic. This ties into the album’s overall problem: Even if Four year Strong sounds more “mature” without them, the synthesizers are what set FYS apart from the other bands in the Pop-Punk/Hardcore genre like Set Your Goals and A Day To Remember. Also gone with the synthesizers is the band’s uniqueness factor and that’s a disappointment.

What also may turn people off are the numerous amounts of obscenities on the record. They may be scattered about, but are still there regardless. There was only one obscenity on the whole “Enemy Of The World.” Say what you will, but it says a lot when a band has to constantly refer to obscenities to help get a song over when they never used to really have to.

Day and O’Connor still go back-and-forth on vocals as well as they did on “Enemy Of The World” and many tracks offer hard-hitting riffs and interesting intros. But most of these intro riffs sound alike and a few tracks like “Sweet Kerosene,” “Falling On You,” and “Unbreakable” end before they really get a chance to get going.

At the end of it all, “In Some Way, Shape, Or Form” is alright, but you can’t help but think how much better it could have been with the synthesizers there.

In reference to lyrics from a song from “Enemy Of The World” called “It Must Really Suck To Be Four Year Strong Right Now,”: “Does it feel like you’re better without it? Cause it looks like you’re nothing without it!”
In a sad case of irony, FYS may have to eat their own words since that lyric speaks true about the band without synthesizers.

“In Some Way, Shape, Or Form” felt like a step backwards for the band which came at a time when they had so much momentum coming from “Enemy Of The World.”

Not to say the band won’t recover from this setback, but their third studio album will forever be known as the album that could have been so much more.