Story of the Year

The Constant

Epitaph

February 16

By Matt Kiernan

Emo/post-grunge band Story of the Year release their fifth album, the Constant, an album that continues their sound of aggression against death and loss of love with anthemic choruses.

Since their formation in 1995, Story of the Year have stuck to their post-hardcore roots, while being able to produce anthems that reach a wide variety of audiences.

Year’s songs deal with alienation and failure, with other times including hope for the future.

The opening track is “The Children Sing,” beginning with the sounds of playgrounds and a chorus of children singing, “Don’t take this world away from me.” A thumping guitar riff follows the children with the lead singer Dan Marsala reminding adults to look at their mistakes for the benefit of kids.

The first single off the album, “I’m Alive,” is an instance of the hope discussed above, but with a side of someone barely being able to survive and asking to be buried. Marsala sings, “I’m alive but I’m barely breathing now/ so spread these wings somehow.”

“The Dream is Over Now” is a track about losing one’s faith in the future and the changes that occur in a person’s life that lead them to their current destinations.

One of the more different tracks on the album is “Remember the Time,” a song that holds a lighter tune, while retaining the sense of loss that is incorporated in Years’ songs. The track includes distorted guitar notes that sound similar to music by Weezer, and even has an acoustic break with Marsala soloing the lyrics of “It’s no surprise that the feelings have changed/ and that the years have slipped away,” ending with the band chanting said lyrics over their electric guitars.

The Constant is a solid Story of the Year album that provides loud guitar riffs and anthems that listeners can yell until their heart’s content.