While not quite on the level of their debut Tell All Your Friends, Taking Back Sunday’s New Again is often overlooked in their discography. It really shouldn’t be, though! The album, which was released on June 2nd, 2009, is often considered a “mature” album for the band, and while that’s up for some debate, it is a solid body of work with some definite highlights.
Much like every TBS album, New Again is full of highlights – whether it’s the driving, infectious back-to-back “Sink Into Me” and “Lonely, Lonely”, or spectacular album closer “Everything Must Go”, there is plenty to like on this transitional record. There’s also the obvious singles like “Swing”, which are more immediate.
You can’t say enough how great a track “Everything Must Go” is. It’s delivered effectively and then absolutely sold by Adam Lazzara’s wailing over a sea of crashing guitars, and given the context of the album, it’s a bit of a shock, to be sure. It’s easily one of the best 10 songs TBS has ever written, if not a bit more exclusive in that category.
There’s something truly urgent in the way New Again grabs you upon repeated listens. We’re not going to tell you or convince you it’s Taking Back Sunday’s best record or anything, but it does make for a pretty great summer album – and it’s one that might just be a lot better than you remember.
