Taking Back Sunday

The truth is you could slit my throat
And with my one last gasping breath
I'd apologize for bleeding on your shirt

—"You're So Last Summer"

Taking Back Sunday (or TBS for short) is a post-Hardcore/Emo/Pop Punk band from Long Island, NY. They are most famous for their intense, confessional lyrics, their use of complex vocal lines with multiple vocalists and their frequent lineup changes.

Guitarist Eddie Reyes, who was already a veteran of the Long Island punk scene, formed the band in 1999 with bassist Jesse Lacey (who later went on to form Brand New), drummer Mark O'Connell and guitarist/singer John Nolan. After releasing a fairly obscure EP and several lineup changes, the band recruited Adam Lazarra on lead vocals and replaced Lacey with Shaun Cooper. With this lineup, the band released Tell All Your Friends, a hugely influential slice of post-hardcore that spawned four singles and was a critical darling.

But this lineup was Too Good to Last, as John and Shaun both left the band in 2004 to form the indie rock band Straylight Run. They were replaced by Fred Mascherino and Matt Rubano, respectively. This lineup recorded two albums together: Where You Want To Be in 2004 and Louder Now in 2006, which both helped propel the band into the mainstream. However, conflicts between Adam and Fred forced the band to change lineups again, as Fred was replaced by Matthew Fazzi. They recorded New Again in 2009, but it received middling reviews and the band now considers it to be their weakest album.

Seemingly spent creatively, Taking Back Sunday decided to go back to their roots in a big way: they reunited the Tell All Your Friends lineup, bringing John Nolan and Shaun Cooper back to the fray in 2010. They recorded their fifth and Self-Titled Album in 2011, which expanded the band's songwriting while still keeping their signature sound. They are currently touring the U.S. and sounding better than ever.

Discography:

Tell All Your Friends (2001)
- "Cute Without The 'E' (Cut From The Team)"
- "Great Romances of the 20th Century"
- "You're So Last Summer"
Where You Want To Be (2004)
- "Set Phasers To Stun"
- "A Decade Under the Influence"
Louder Now (2006)
- "Make Damn Sure"
New Again (2009)
Taking Back Sunday (2011)
- "Faith (When I Let You Down)"
- "This Is All Now"

Taking Back Sunday provides examples of the following tropes:

Anti-Love Song: Listing each one would take forever, so it's better to just say "Almost all of them".
Ballad of X: "The Ballad of Sal Villanueva" (who was the producer of Tell All Your Friends)
Breakup Breakout: Jesse Lacey formed Brand New after leaving TBS, and there is still much debate over which band is more popular.
- Also John Nolan and Shaun Cooper with Straylight Run, although they have since returned to TBS.
Break Up Song: "You're So Last Summer"
- Perhaps a majority of their songs, especially on the first album.
Call-and-Response Song: Part of their signature style.
Careful with That Axe: Many songs on their first album. They've toned it down since, though.
Creator Backlash: Adam, Ed, and John Nolan all consider New Again to be the worst album they've done.
Narm: Many of their songs border on this territory.
Non-Appearing Title: Quite a few, given that most of their song titles are hard to fit into actual lyrics.
Notable Music Videos: "Cute Without the 'E'" is a shout-out to Fight Club. "You're So Last Summer" features the band performing with Flavor Flav. "Faith (When I Let You Down)" is a spoof on Internet celebrities that features a character known as the "OMGWTFTBSCAT".
Revolving Door Band: The most they've done with the same lineup is two albums. In fact, their "classic" lineup only recorded on album together before splitting up and eventually reuniting in 2010.
Stalker with a Crush: "Make Damn Sure"
Self-Backing Vocalist: Usually averted, as the vocals are always done by Adam and whoever is playing lead guitar at the time.
Three Chords and the Truth: "Cute Without the 'E'" only has three chords in it, but you can barely tell with how much is going on musically.
Title Drop: Their first three albums all have this somewhere. Tell All Your Friends is dropped on "Cute Without the 'E'", Where You Want To Be on "Set Phasers To Stun" and Louder Now on "What's It Feel Like To Be A Ghost?"