The Story So Far returns after six years with new album ‘I Want To Disappear’

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Similar artists: New Found Glory, Four Year Strong, The Wonder Years
Recommended tracks: “All This Time”, “Keep You Around”, “White Shores”

Six years after their previous album, Proper Dose, debuted at #19 on the Billboard 200 chart, California pop punk band The Story So Far (Parker Cannon, Kevin Geyer, Ryan Torf, and Will Levy) is back with their new album I Want To Disappear, released today via Pure Noise Records.ย 

The band has been through a lot in the past six years. In 2021, lead vocalist Parker Cannon lost his father to cancer. Then, they experienced a lineup change with the departure of founding bassist Kelen Capener in 2022. A lot more went on behind the scenes to the point where Cannon recently admitted in an interview with Rolling Stone that they almost broke up several times.

But boy, are we glad theyโ€™re still here. About the long wait leading up to this album, Kevin Geyer (lead guitar, keys) says:

โ€œWe were waiting for all the stars to align for our individual situations so that this record could be the priority, and that we had the time and space to make it happen in the way that we wanted to. We went through a lot as people, and as a band, to discover what was working about it, and we leaned into that.โ€

I Want To Disappear, produced by Jon Markson, reveals a new side of The Story So Far, fueled by grief, anger, and most of all, personal growth.ย 

The album bursts out of the gate with the pre-released single โ€œAll This Timeโ€. The energy of this anthemic track will hook fans both new and old. Itโ€™s immediately followed by the equally punchy โ€œWatch You Goโ€, which is accompanied by a new music video that was also released today.

โ€œLettermanโ€ pulls back from the intensity, providing a more melodic contrast to the first two tracks, while โ€œJump The Gunโ€ is an undeniably catchy number with lots of tempo shifts. The layered outro puts the bandโ€™s talent as a cohesive unit on display. The albumโ€™s first single, โ€œBig Blindโ€, is reminiscent of the style present on Proper Dose.ย 

With one quick hit after another, โ€œNothing To Sayโ€ starts the second half of the album with a new sound, featuring a softer guitar over fast-paced drums. The song maintains a dynamic energy until just before the 2-minute mark, when itย  switches up the pace to a more nostalgic tone.

Lines in โ€œKeep You Aroundโ€ like โ€œAnd if I take some time to cry and just recover / then maybe I can be there for my motherโ€ in the first verse allude to the loss of Cannonโ€™s father. The chorus is a little more upbeat, but with even more poignant lyrics as Cannon asksย  โ€œHow will I get through this?โ€. The band surprises us with an acoustic bridge that builds to a final climactic chorus. Theyโ€™ve channeled their grief into this track and successfully combined different musical elements with perfect timing to create something meaningful.ย 

โ€œWhite Shoresโ€ owes its title to a scene from Lord of the Rings, which Cannon saw in theaters with his father when he was little, in which Gandalf talks to Pippin about death. It brings the acoustics back and displays a softer side of Cannonโ€™s vocals than weโ€™ve ever heard before. Raw emotion explodes from Cannonโ€™s vocals as he repeats the lyrics with a renewed and almost frustrated energy. Dare we say, this song may be the best one on the entire album. The impassioned vocal styles, changes in musical energy, heartrending lyrics, and authentic delivery will hit home with any listener whoโ€™s dealt with loss.ย 

The title track โ€œI Want To Disappearโ€ closes us out. With plucked acoustic guitar strings and subtle harmonies, this track ties the album together nicely. Weโ€™ve seen a much more vulnerable side of the band over the course of this album and itโ€™s only fitting that they end it as stripped down as it gets.ย 

Overall, I Want To Disappear contains a perfect mix of bangers and heartfelt moments, of energy and calm โ€“ and even (or especially) during the calmer moments, their delivery is captivating.ย 

I Want To Disappear puts the bandโ€™s growth, both personally and musically, on proud display. The Story So Far is able to retain their signature dynamic and energetic pop punk sound that weโ€™ve come to know and love while exploring new and difficult themes. Fans who have been through any type of loss will listen to this album and feel seen and supported in the most authentic way, as the bandโ€™s grief and growth bleed through every detail: the lyrics, the vocal delivery, the instrumentation, and even the loaded transitions within songs.ย 

About the finished product, Ryan Torf (drums, rhythm guitar, and keys) says:

โ€œWe’re always just trying to make something that we love and that feels like it’s relevant to where we are in life. We’ve already done so much in the past, but we wanted this to feel like the present thing that we are. We tried to make something that we connected with, and that hopefully our fans will like as well. But first and foremost, it’s just something that we’re proud of and feel good about.โ€

And theyโ€™ve certainly achieved these goals and much more with I Want To Disappear.ย 

Catch The Story So Far on the remaining dates of their tour across the US with A Day To Remember and Four Year Strong this summer.ย 

KEEP UP WITH THE STORY SO FAR: Instagram // Website // Facebook // Twitter

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