Taking Back Sunday

About Taking Back Sunday

The melodic Long Island emo rockers in Taking Back Sunday have laid claim to the teen angst ballad. Unlike some sneering punks, Taking Back Sunday are the sincere, quiet boys next door who have a massive, undeclared crush on the neighbor's daughter. Every day they see her, every day they almost say something and every day they're ready to do absolutely anything she asks them to. But she never asks. So Taking Back Sunday go down to the basement and write songs about it. "If you cut my throat, I'll apologize for bleeding on your shirt", sings Adam Lazzara on "Cute Without the E" from Taking Back Sunday's major label debut. The band began life as a bunch of high school kids gigging around Long Island house parties, and they have undergone several line-up shifts along the road to success. The band struck up a friendship with emo screamers Thursday and based most of their touring efforts around South Jersey's thriving ShoreCore scene. Their debut album Tell All Your Friends, produced by Thursday's Sal Vallanueva, was a success by indie rock standards, but did not get the band much recognition in the mainstream press. Following the release of their first album, Taking Back Sunday nearly called it quits after their bassist and guitarist both left to form the band Straylight Run. However, Taking Back Sunday rallied and went on the Warped Tour, wowing new and old fans alike. 2004's follow-up independent album, Where You Want to Be, got the band some serious radio play on the strength of the single "You're So Last Decade." Finally, Taking Back Sunday scored a major label record deal in 2006. Taking the advice of their fans, the band dedicated their new, higher budget to capturing the amazing energy of their live shows in the studio. The aptly titled Louder Now lives up to it's name and sees Taking Back Sunday falling in love with their guitars, even going to far as to add serious solos to singles like "MakeDamnSure."