Originating from California in 2007, The Story So Far is a pop-punk band currently formed of Ryan Torf (drums, rhythm guitar, and keys), Kevin Geyer (lead guitar, keys), Will Levy (guitars), and Parker Cannon (vocals). Signed to Pure Noise, they’ve toured with the likes of Citizen, Turnover, Movements, and blink-182.

Six years after the last release, The Story So Far didn’t really have a specific thing that inspired their upcoming album, individually each member was going through a lot both personally and professionally. According to Torf, the band experienced significant personal growth between their last record and this one, and there’s no growth without hardship. This resulted in some things taking priority over playing, which was essential for them to discover where they wanted to go. Geyer explains that the band was waiting for the right moment when their individual circumstances to align so they could focus on the album. The growth helped them identify and enhance what was working well for them. Levy also mentioned that by not rushing the process or trying to be something specific, they could maintain the quality they wanted to meet for their music and push themselves to achieve the sound they had envisioned, resulting in their fifth studio album; ‘I Want to Disappear’.

Kicking off the album is ‘All This Time’, and the energy level is sickeningly high. The second song, ‘Watch You Go’, is a clear continuation with a much beloved segue in between. I will admit I’m not the biggest fan of modern pop punk (I do have some guilty pleasures though), and these two songs (in my opinion), are generic pop punk, with catchy pop driven guitar riffs, airy but harsh vocals, and bassy drum fills.

Compared to the first two, really in your face feeling songs, ‘Letterman’ is a bit more pulled back. The energy is still high but feels a bit more controlled. The vocals are softer, and the instruments are toned lower. ‘Jump The Gun’ is a mixture of this more pulled back tone, but with the punchier vocals from the first two songs. There is a lovely combination of two different vocals overlayed which was very satisfying.

‘Big Blind’ has a nice little push-pull feeling in the chorus, but I want to give a special mention to the drums in ‘Nothing To Say’, courtesy of Ryan Torf. Something that really stood out to me was the fast-paced drum beat, which showcases the punk influence (something I’m more accustomed to). It’s really all I could focus on during this song, maybe Jon Markson (producer for the album), cranked that drum stem right up.

I can’t really explain why, but ‘Keep You Around’ reminded me so much of ‘Always’ by blink-182. I really enjoyed the bridge in this one. ‘You’re Still in My Way’ features another great double vocal overlay.

The last two songs of the album bring the energy right down, with both being very calm and stripped back in comparison to the others. The beginning of ‘White Shores’ opens with a crescendo of a soft acoustic guitar riff and percussion, and ghostly vocals joining in. The calm doesn’t last and it’s like someone worked out that the amps were off. There’s an uproar of impactful drums and guitar tones. ‘I Want To Disappear’ sees the album out. A fully acoustic song of vocals, guitars and keys. These vocals aren’t airy, but very much present. It’s a very raw and intimate track, speaking about themes of the complexities of love, change, and emotional clarity.

My experience with The Story So Far is very minimal, but I think the first two songs feel like their earlier stuff (‘UnderSoil and Dirt’, maybe some of ‘What You Don’t See’) with coarse kind of vocals. The middle chunk of the album feels like the songs from ‘Proper Dose’, because of the less harsh vocals but still energetic rhythms, adding a bit of indie rock to the mix. And then there’s the ending of the album with basically complete calm. As mentioned earlier, they wanted ‘I Want To Disappear’ to showcase what they want their band to sound like, to make it the present thing that they are. Couldending the album with a calm tone could be a way of the band showing fans that this more pulled back approach is the direction they’re heading?