One of the things that gets lost on us as we deal with all of this self-quarantining, self-isolating, and social distancing is how easy it is to forget about taking of ourselves and our mental health. Brain Pain is a catchy, immediate, and socially relevant record as Four Year Strong take a look at what it means to be lost in our thoughts. With song titles ranging from “Crazy Pills” to “Talking Myself in Circles” and “Get Out of My Head,” FYS take it all in stride as they investigate the inner workings of our brains and what makes us all unique and human. On its surface, Brain Pain couldn’t have come at a better time for all of us as we re-learn ways to communicate with each other without that physical connection, and it surely doesn’t hurt that these songs are some of the best work from the band in quite some time.

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You realize about five seconds into Go Down In History that Four Year Strong, the Worcester, MA-based quartet that exemplified the best parts of pop-punk’s “easy-core” subset with its first two full-length releases, has completely and unabashedly returned to form. This is, by all means, a great thing. 

I hate using a phrase like “return to form”–a cliché with the best of them–but after the band’s 2011 (probably near-career-ending) effort In Some Way, Shape Or Form, it seems wholly appropriate. That last record showed an unfortunate take on Four Year Strong’s typical sound, one that was seemingly executed through a lens of trying too hard to “mature.” That might have been due to pressures at a major label or simply the band’s own desire to show growth in their art. Either way, it didn’t work very well, and Four Year Strong was left with an album that both alienated fans and didn’t see commercial or radio success. 

When I initially contacted Universal Motown about an advance of Four Year Strong’s hotly anticipated major label debut, Enemy Of The World, they told me I was SOL. When I asked why, they told me that someone had stolen the master copy.

That damn monkeywizard…

After reading his pathetic attempt at reviewing, I PM’d monkeywizard asking how I could obtain the new FYS album to give it the proper review it deserved. After a lengthy back and forth exchange in which he made fun of my 5950 hat collection and reminded me that Aaron Rodgers has never won a playoff game, he made it known that there was nothing I could do to get that master copy. Little did he know that I had some brand new Set Your Goals’ demos (monkeywizard’s a big fan). So in exchange for the demos (which were really just songs from New Again tagged as SYG tracks – monkeywizard is going to be pissed), I finally acquired the master copy of Enemy Of The World. After my first listen, I was floored. It was immediately evident that this album was built with machine guns, spiked bats, jagged rocks, and skulls. Oh yeah, I can’t forget about the wolves either. Enemy Of The World hits harder, runs faster, and operates more smoothly than its predecessor. Yes, the duel-vocals, infectious choruses, and delicious breakdowns are still present, only this time they sound a lot bigger. The production difference between this and Rise or Die Trying is dramatic. And you can thank Machine for that. He found the perfect balance between grit and gloss, as Four Year Strong have never sounded crisper.