Four Year Strong

Taking influence from the likes of Lifetime, Gorilla Biscuits, and New Found Glory, Four Year Strong built an aggressive and melody-riddled combination of hardcore, emo-pop, and pop-punk upon their formation in Worcester, Massachusetts. The band's lineup -- vocalists/guitarists Dan O'Connor and Alan Day, bassist Joe Weiss, drummer Jake Massucco, and synth player Josh Lyford -- was cemented during the musicians' high-school tenure in 2003, though a form of the band had already existed for several years. Following the appearance of two self-released EPs, Four Year Strong signed a deal with New Jersey-based imprint I Surrender Records. Their debut full-length, Rise or Die Trying, was issued on the label in September 2007. Tour dates with groups like the Starting Line, Valencia, and From First to Last kept them on the road for the remainder of the year, and the band returned in 2009 with an album of '90s covers, Explains It All. In 2010, the band came back with some original material for its third full-length release, Enemy of the World. The following year, the band decided to get rid of the synthesizers, paring down to a quartet and parting ways with Josh Lyford in the process. Later that year, Four Year Strong went into the studio with producer David Bendeth to work on their fourth album, In Some Way, Shape, or Form, which was released in late 2011. ~ Corey Apar, Rovi