The band A Day to Remember, first signed by Victory Records in 2006, originally had no notions of blowing up and selling thousands of records.
The band had just one intention: to stay on tour and play as many shows as possible. A Day to Remember rose to the national spotlight in 2007 with their cover of Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone" and the release of their third album, For Those Who Have Heart.
With constant touring over the past few years, however, the band found that being away from friends and loved ones while trying to hit it big can be difficult.
The band's fourth album is fittingly titled Homesick and gives the listener an inside look at the band's life on tour as well as their rise to the top of the pop-punk world on the wings of their contagious genre-bending sound.
Homesick deviates from past albums, which have been characterized by metalcore guitar riffs and an in-your-face sound, instead bringing in a much stronger pop-punk influence.
This change has shown no negative impact on the band's following. In fact, Homesick is a solid compilation of one infectious song after another.
The band's bassist, Josh Woodard, describes the album as "a culmination of 2 and a half years of being gone on the road. It represents what we've been through, what's ahead of us and the lessons we've learned in between."
The first track on the album, "The Downfall of Us All," discusses the band's decision to be on tour constantly, while recounting the difficulty in drawing the line between life on the road and life back home.
The tracks "Have Faith In Me" and "Another Song For the Weekend" look to bring the band to a new level with their driving pop-punk sound and their characteristic hardcore influence. Both songs illuminate a side of the band not seen before, portraying the strain that a full-time career can have on relationships.
Homesick may suggest that the members of A Day to Remember are having second thoughts about being full time musicians, but in fact the group has already returned to life on tour. The group will be a major headliner during this summer's Vans Warped Tour and is currently headlining a spring tour that will make its way to Buffalo this April.