Grade: B+

Taking Back Sunday is making an entrance once again to the music market with their ninth album, “Happiness Is.”

Using their alternative roots and incorporating great instrumentals with their lead singer’s strong vocals, they formed yet another strong album, even including some songs with more of a rock vibe.

This group formed in 1999 in Amityville, N.Y., and started off very strong in their career. However after losing two members in 2003, the band definitely took a hard hit and questioned if they would even continue.

Luckily, they soon found new members and have benefitted greatly from them joining. Their albums afterward have only become increasingly stronger, along with the band as well.

After the album’s first song, “Preface,” it then continues on with the song, “Flicker, Fade.” It consists of heavy drums and guitar, and then it suddenly stops and then drops into mainly just singing, definitely catching the listener’s attention with such an abrupt change.

The lyrics are nothing less than powerful as well, with lines such as the chorus saying, “Flicker, flicker, fade/destroy what you create/and wonder why it always ends the same.”

Something that will also really grab any listener’s attention is by how strong the singer’s vocals are, and also how consistent his voice stays throughout the whole song, let alone album. This band is nothing short of amazing with this new work, and it only gets better throughout the rest of the album.

Yet, this band also shows that they have restraint with their vocals and instrumentals as well. In the last song on the album, “Nothing At All,” the band slows everything down and almost sounds quite reserved. Although the sound has less lyrics than most songs, the lyrics are still very beautiful, saying things such as, “You wait in the dark for the music to soothe you to sleep/swallow your fears/become them eventually.”

Taking Back Sunday is a great band. With all the other great songs on their album such as, “Like You Do,” “We Were Younger Then,” “Beat Up Car” and etc., any listener will find something they relate to with this band. It also helps knowing that the band has years of experience to prove how great their music is, and the strength and beauty in every song will prove it as well.

Whether you have heard of their music or not, give them a listen, who knows, you may find a song or two that may really speak to you.