Happiness Is

Sound DNA

• Alt/Indie
• Alternative Rock

• distorted
• yearning
• confessional

About

In 2011, Taking Back Sunday released their self-titled fifth album, the first to feature the original lineup of the band since 2002's seminal <i>Tell All Your Friends</i>. Celebrated by fans, <i>Taking Back Sunday</i> proved that the old lineup still packed a punch. What <i>Happiness Is</i> proves is that they're not done maturing artistically. Here, the band dial down the pop-punk snarl and fill the gap with hefty hooks and smart arrangements. The soaring single "Flicker Fade" features a string section; "It Takes More" is a pensive ballad kicked off by distant pianos and concluded by a lonely violin. The band's lyrics have grown up, too: "Better Homes and Gardens" tells the story of a doomed marriage, with Adam Lazzara concluding emphatically, "It was all for nothing/It was all a waste." Most tellingly, the closer, "Nothing At All," sounds more like Coldplay than anything released by TBS' erstwhile Warped Tour colleagues.

via Apple Music

Tracklist

Credits