Taking Back Sunday Name 'Most Reliable' Bandmate, Share Their Ultimate Goal

Taking Back Sunday joined iHeartRadio's Stryker to celebrate the release of their eighth studio album, 152, during an intimate release party in Los Angeles on Thursday, November 2. After a rocking introduction, Stryker asked the band how fans have perceived the album since its highly-anticipated release on October 27.

"We don't listen to much of that chatter," lead vocalist Adam Lazzara explained. "I have this thing where I didn't even know how people were receiving the record really. I have to call Shaun and ask him, 'Are people being cool on the internet?' And this time it's just been yesses across the board. You can't really argue with that."

The group was very strategic in choosing the album's title to connect with fans and symbolically invite them into their world by sharing a location near and dear to their hearts.

"152 has been on the cover of every one of our records. It's this exit, a spot in North Carolina where I'm from. There's Interstate 40 and Interstate 85. They merge. They come together... it's great. I grew up in a small town and that's the exit where we would meet and it's been like a secret and an inside joke with our friends all these years and now we figure like what better time because we've spent all this time trying to get into other people's lives, to get into their world, and you know what, we want to invite folks to ours."

Guitarist and keyboardist John Nolan mentioned that the project was not born overnight; in fact, 152 is three years in the making if you count the "Covid years."

"Actually, one of the sessions we got together for in Charlotte... the week after was when everything started going into lockdown for the pandemic and the way that we work on songs is that we all get together in a room and kind of react to each others ideas, you know, talking through it. So that was not an option the whole of 2021 and some of 2021 even. It was just not an option to keep working on the record, so we picked it back up a year plus later."

Bassist Shaun Cooper added that touring after the pandemic changed from casual days off on the road to writing and tinkering with songs written in 2020. Stryker commended Cooper for such a solid answer, to which Lazzara replied: "That's why Shaun Cooper is the most reliable member of the band."

After reminiscing about the first bands that took Taking Back Sunday under their wing before their career took off, (Reach For The Sky, The Lawrence Arms, and Rival Schools) the group bantered about their hopes of becoming a wedding act in light of a recent, unexpected adventure.

"Yes, that was the entire reason we made another album," Nolan joked. "If only we could get to be a wedding band. That's actually our ultimate goal."

Per Cooper; a bride reached out to the band saying that she was a big fan of their music and just so happened to be getting married on the release date of their new album.

"So we're like, that's really amazing. Our manager Jillian got in touch with the maid of honor and said 'Hey, these guys are going to be rehearsing about two hours away. We might be able to make something cool happen...' and we just did. It was very serendipitous and we got there and we hung out and we met the wedding party and they couldn't have been nicer. And then we played some songs and it was an amazing moment."

In addition to answering a few questions, the band also performed a handful of songs off their latest album including "The One," "Amphetamine Smiles," "S'old," "You Can’t Look Back," "Tidal Wave," and "Keep Going" to name a few. Some of the singles were performed live for the first time ever! Stryker asked drummer Mark O'Connell to describe how it felt to play songs live for the first time.

"I am overplaying. I am playing too hard because I am excited and I need to chill. But man, the new songs are exciting to play so, it's fun!"

To close out the energetic question portion of the event, Nolan shared that he hopes that fans enjoy listening to 152 and that it's their "favorite record that they've ever heard in their life." The band concluded the show by thanking everyone for taking time out of their night to attend the release party.

"We'll never forget you." Interested individuals can catch Taking Back Sunday at their next show in Long Beach, California, on Saturday, November 4.