The Story So Far
What You Don’t See
Here’s the thing about The Story So Far. I did not expect this band to get picked up by the scene this much. Now hear me out; it’s not because they aren’t good at their craft or anything of the sort (because they definitely are). But there are hundreds of bands today playing exactly what they play. You go to a pop-punk show in today’s day and age, and you’ll see seven to eight bands each play the same songs back and forth for five hours. The shows and the pop-punk genre are outrageously fun; don’t get me wrong. But lately they’ve truly been lacking in originality. So what is so special about another pop-punk group like The Story So Far?
How about brutally honest lyrics tied in with hard-hitting instrumentals and vocalist Parker Cannon’s ability to just not give a fuck? (Read some of their lyrics; you’ll get what I mean). Fans of TSSF’s debut Under Soil & Dirt will be content with What You Don’t See, the band’s sophomore attempt slated to be released this Tuesday. Catchy hooks, vicious guitars and vocal attacks about love and loss are once again present here. The album was pieced together with the help of New Found Glory’s Steve Klein, who took a seat behind the production board this time around.
The downfall of this album? Nothing truly seems to have changed. Most bands usually try to change up their sound slightly with each release they put out, or experiment, and this could be a bit disheartening to some fans.
But the only reason I bring this up is because the band has so much potential to reach that large audience that they’re inching closer and closer to every day. I had the pleasure of seeing TSSF play at 924 Gilman Street in Berkeley, California this past July. That particular show, packed with 800 kids in a room the size of a shoebox, was the most high-energy show I’d seen all year. Kids went nuts. The band clearly has a following. I think if they messed around with their sound a bit, they could even be bigger than they are at the moment and get the pop-punk genre out of this “lack of originality” slump it has been in for the past couple years. But that’s just me. I’m just excited to see them live again, particularly with some of these news songs under the belt to see how the play out in front of an audience.
Myself, along with the band’s rapidly growing fan base, will surely be looking forward to the next show.
Label: Pure Noise Records
Available: March 26, 2013
