Credit: Marcus Wallinder
Story Of The Year is one of those bands that shaped my generation and the ones after us through their lyricism and exploration of personal struggles that fans can resonate to. With A.R.S.O.N being released; it reminds us that life may have its difficulties, but music will always be there when silence feels dangerous. A.R.S.O.N. will be the album that will walk you through those struggles because it won’t show judgement towards you.
“Gasoline (All Rage Still Only Numb)” is the first track of this album that can represent desensitization and at the end of it; you feel completely numb. The title of the single can be a metaphor for emotional exhaustion and that even though something is fueling those emotions; you can start to disconnect from yourself from those feelings. “Gasoline (All Rage Still Only Numb)” feels like internal conflict within an individual understanding reality and what’s not real
“Disconnected” is cathartic in every aspect between the vocals and instrumentation. “Disconnected” has bold vocals that encapsulates the true meaning of wanting to be a better person, but during that process you fear of ending up alone. The single expresses loneliness and finally understanding that if you stay disconnected from everything around you that instead of moving forward; you stay stuck in the past
“See Through” is one of my favorite tracks off this album because it radiates transparency and feeling like deception might occur. Emotional turbulence is constant in this single that will keep the listener on edge. The single is filled with vulnerability and fear that creates tension that slowly unfolds as the song progresses.
“Fall Away” is soaked in nostalgia that has vocals that feel honest almost like we are experiencing a personal journey from the artist. This single is a reflective track that paints a path of decisions an individual made throughout their life and allows the listener to be able to resonate with the lyrics. The vocals in this single are soft and harsh that represents the difficulty with understanding mistakes that were made. The instrumentation heightens those emotions that you feel when you lose control of your life adding that atmospheric soundscape to deliver the message to listeners.
A.R.S.O.N. is like chapters in a book that you are glued to where you create imagery in your mind to make it come to life. Listening to A.R.S.O.N. showcases the growth of the band and that even after years of creating music; Story Of The Year will be the band that fans will be able consistently resonate to. The album in my opinion gives comfort because the lyricism of each single is filled with familiarity and listening brings calmness that makes the day so much easier to manage. We as fans can lean onto this album because the Story Of The Year makes sure even when life gets heavy; they are there to show that anyone can struggle and that healing is a process.
Pre-order HERE!
A.R.S.O.N. Tracklisting
- Gasoline (All Rage Still Only Numb)
- Disconnected
- See Through
- Fall Away
- 3 am
- Into The Dark
- My Religion
- Halos
- Good for Me / Feel so Bad
- Better Than High
- I Don’t Wanna Feel Like This Anymore
Story of the Year Tour Dates
February 14 – St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant
May 7 – Daytona Beach, FL @ Welcome To Rockville
May 15 – Columbus, OH @ Sonic Temple Festival
June 12 – 14 – Castle Donington, UK @ Download Festival