Four Year Strong

About Four Year Strong

Four Year Strong came out of Worcester, Massachusetts in 2001, though they didn't really hit their stride until a few years later when they figured out how to merge pop punk's catchiness with hardcore's aggression. The result was something that sounded like Taking Back Sunday in a mosh pit, and it worked.

Their early stuff on their own label was fine, but 2007's Rise or Die Trying on I Surrender Records is where things clicked. The album was pure easycore before anyone really called it that—breakdowns that hit hard, choruses you could shout in a basement or an arena, and dual vocals from Dan O'Connor and Alan Day that gave everything an extra gear. Songs like "Heroes Get Remembered, Legends Never Die" and "Maniac (R.O.D.)" became instant staples. The production was rough around the edges in a way that felt right.

They signed to Universal Motown for 2009's In Some Way, Shape, or Form, which is either their peak or a close second depending on who you ask. The label backing didn't sand down their edges—if anything, tracks like "It Must Really Suck to Be Four Year Strong Right Now" and "This Body Pays the Bill$" were bigger and louder. They toured relentlessly, played Warped Tour more times than anyone kept track of, and became one of those bands where the live show was genuinely better than the record.

Enemy of the World in 2010 showed them trying to expand, with Brian McTernan producing. It was more ambitious, maybe a little overreaching, but songs like "Enemy of the World" and "Stuck in the Middle" proved they could write something more than mosh anthems when they wanted to. Then they left Universal and went back to independent releases, which seemed to suit them better anyway.

The self-titled album in 2015 felt like a reset—still heavy, still catchy, but with more space to breathe. They spent the next few years doing what veteran bands do: anniversary tours for Rise or Die Trying, occasional new releases, maintaining their spot in the scene without chasing trends.

2020's Brain Pain leaned harder into the chaotic side of their sound, all frantic energy and crunchy guitars. It came out in February, right before the world shut down, which was unfortunate timing for a band that built their reputation on live shows. They adapted, kept writing, and released Analysis Paralysis in 2023, which found them comfortable in their lane—still writing the same kind of songs they've always written, just better at it after two decades of practice.

They're still based in Worcester, still a unit with the same core lineup, and still playing the kind of shows where kids who weren't born when Rise or Die Trying came out crowd-surf next to people pushing forty. They never became the biggest band in the world, but they've outlasted most of their peers.

Their shows are legitimately loud and chaotic. Expect constant crowd interaction, parts songs everyone screams, and a pit that doesn't require much encouragement to form. They still play with genuine intensity despite years on the road. The crowd tilts toward people who went to Warped Tour or followed the mid-2000s underground.

Known for It'll Be Okay, Everything to Nothing, One Step Closer, Wasting My Time, Heroes

See Four Year Strong Live